Rut Meaning
/ɹʌt/ [ɹʌʔ]Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounSexual desire in any of many mammals, often specific to mating season.
nounThe noise made by deer during sexual excitement.
Sentence Examples
I'm stuck in a rut in my boring job and need to do something new.
What I dread most is to get into a rut.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After heavy rain, the wheels left deep ____ in the muddy road.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt stuck in a ____, doing the same tasks every day without any sense of progress.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English rutte (noun) and rutten (verb), from Old French rut (“noise, roar, bellowing”), from Latin rugītus, from rugīre (“to roar”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“Well, Mayella was raisin‘ this holy racket so I dropped m’load and run as fast as I could but I run into th’ fence, but when I got distangled I run up to th‘ window and I seen—” Mr. Ewell’s face grew scarlet. He stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. “—I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!”"
— 1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
"“Alfred,” Ragnar continued scathingly. “All he cares about is rutting girls, which is good![…]”"
— 2004, Bernard Cornwell, The Last Kingdom:
"VVhat Piety forbids the luſty Ram / Or more ſalacious Goat, to rut their Dam?"
— 1700, [John] Dryden, “Cinyras and Myrrha, out of the Tenth Book of Ovid’s Metamorphosis”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 175:
"We have just rescued a dog from a shelter; she has a great personality, except the one problem with her is that she ocassionally^([sic]) likes to "rut" against my husband's leg or arm !"
— 1999 May 22, Joanna Woodcock, “Female dog desire ?”, in alt.animals.dog (Usenet):
"I'd bend over and wait...and wait...and wait... finally turning around to see him rutting against a table leg."
— 2001 September 8, Looney, “On a sidenote”, in alt.underground (Usenet):
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After heavy rain, the wheels left deep ____ in the muddy road.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt stuck in a ____, doing the same tasks every day without any sense of progress.