chute

¹

[shoot]

noun

1. an inclined channel, as a trough, tube, or shaft, for conveying water, grain, coal, etc., to a lower level.

2. a waterfall or steep descent, as in a river.

3. a water slide, as at an amusement park.

4. a steep slope, as for tobogganing.

5. a narrow corridor or enclosure for livestock that keeps the animals moving in single file or holds an animal in a forward-facing position until released to proceed into a designated area.

verb (used with object)

chuted, chuting 

1. to move or deposit, by or as if by means of a chute.

   The dock had facilities for chuting grain directly into the hold of a vessel.

verb (used without object)

chuted, chuting 

1. to descend by or as if by means of a chute.

chute

²

[shoot]

noun

1. a parachute.

verb (used without object)

chuted, chuting 

1. to descend from the air by or as if by a parachute.

verb (used with object)

chuted, chuting 

1. to drop from an aircraft by means of a parachute.

   Supplies were chuted to the snowbound mountain climbers.

chute

¹

/ ʃuːt /

noun

1. an inclined channel or vertical passage down which water, parcels, coal, etc, may be dropped

2. a steep slope, used as a slide as for toboggans

3. a slide into a swimming pool

4. a narrow passageway through which animals file for branding, spraying, etc

5. a rapid or waterfall

chute

²

/ ʃuːt /

noun

1. informal,  short for parachute

Other Word Forms

• chutist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chute¹

First recorded in 1715–25; from French, Middle French, representing Old French cheoite “a fall,” noun use of feminine past participle of cheoir “to fall” (from unattested Vulgar Latin cadēre, for Latin cadere ), with vowel of Middle French chue, Old French cheue, a variant past participle; some senses influenced by shoot ¹; cadence, case ¹

Origin of chute²

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; by shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of chute¹

C19: from Old French cheoite, feminine past participle of cheoir to fall, from Latin cadere; in some senses, a variant spelling of _shoot

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. out of the chute, at the start; at the very beginning.

   The new business made mistakes right out of the chute and failed within a year.

Example Sentences

When the signal came, one line of pallets raced down the hold’s railing, their chutes ripping open in a flurry of motion as they fell out of the back, one after another.

From Los Angeles Times

At tonight’s rodeo, Maureen and Dominick’s names are called and their parents hand them up to the platform next to the bull chutes, which rodeo hands have stuffed with bawling sheep.

From Los Angeles Times

Williamson “a confusing maze of chutes, many of which lead to dead ends.”

From Los Angeles Times

For readers who did not spend their days walking the factory floor or supervising the sorting of coal chunks sliding down a chute, an incisive picture would stand out.

From Los Angeles Times

Workers wearing rubber gloves scanned the advancing fruit, grabbing any mandarins with blemishes and dropping them into chutes to be trucked to a juice plant.

From Los Angeles Times