gut / gət/ • n. 1. (also guts) the stomach or belly: a painful stabbing feeling in his gut. ∎  Med. & Biol. the lower alimentary canal or a part of this; the intestine: microbes which naturally live in the human gut. ∎  (guts) entrails that have been removed or exposed in violence or by a butcher. ∎  (guts) the internal parts or essence of something: the guts of a modern computer.2. (guts) inf. personal courage and determination; toughness of character: she had both more brains and more guts than her husband you just haven't got the guts to admit it. ∎  [as adj.] inf. (of a feeling or reaction) based on a deep-seated emotional response rather than considered thought; instinctive: a gut feeling.3. fiber made from the intestines of animals, used esp. for violin or racket strings or for surgical use: [as adj.] gut strings. 4. a narrow passage or strait.• v. (gut·ted, gut·ting) [tr.] take out the intestines and other internal organs of (a fish or other animal) before cooking it. ∎  remove or destroy completely the internal parts of (a building or other structure): the fire gutted most of the factory. ∎  remove or extract the most important parts of (something) in a damaging or destructive manner: a mine shutdown gutted the town's economy.PHRASES: bust a gut inf. make a strenuous effort: a problem which nobody is going to bust a gut trying to solve.—— one's guts out used to indicate that the specified action is done or performed as hard as possible: he ran his guts out and finished fourth.hate someone's guts inf. feel a strong hatred for someone.

gut In developmental and evolutionary terms, the gut is simply a ‘tube’ from head end to tail end, extending the outside environment into the shelter of the body, allowing the processing and absorption of nutrients from an internal surface: an advance upon absorption from only the external surface in the simplest organisms. In human terms, although the ‘tube’ runs from mouth to anus, the term ‘gut’ usually refers to the stomach and intestines; gut sensations and functions have strong psychosomatic links involving the autonomic nervous system — a physical basis for the traditional association with unreasoned responses and emotions: ‘gut reactions’ and ‘gut feelings’.

Stuart Judge

gut (gut) n.
1. see intestine.

2. see catgut.

gut (pl.) bowels OE.; sg. intestine XIV; narrow passage or channel XVI. OE. pl. guttas, prob. f. base *ʒut- of OE. ġēotan pour (see FOUND2).
Hence as vb. XIV.

gut See gastro‐intestinal tract.