Chute or Shoot? The Slide Is French
A chute is a sloping channel for sliding things down. The spelling is French for a fall, and it is often confused with shoot.
A chute is a sloping channel down which things slide, and informally a parachute. The spelling is French, from *chute*, a fall, and it competes with the English *shoot*, which was used for the same thing in older writing. Modern usage has settled: the channel is a chute, and *shoot* is reserved for firing and filming — though *rubbish shoot* still turns up as an error. A parachute is literally a guard against a fall, from *parer*, to protect.
- A sloping channel. *A laundry chute.*
- A parachute (informal). *Pull the chute.*
- A waterfall or rapid. *The chute of the river.*
- Parachute — from *para* plus *chute*. *An emergency parachute.*
- Shoot — the word it is confused with. *Shoot a film.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | chute | A steep chute. |
| Plural | chutes | Two chutes. |
| Compound | parachute | A parachute. |
| Compound | chute | Rubbish chute. |
| French | chute | A fall. |
- Drop the bag down the laundry chute.Channel.
- His chute opened at 900 metres.Informal.
- Parachute means a guard against a fall.Etymology.
Where chutes appear
- Laundry or rubbish chute — in a building
- Coal chute — into a cellar
- Cattle chute — a narrow passage for handling livestock
- Escape chute — an inflatable slide on an aircraft
- Chute — in whitewater, a fast narrow channel
French *chute*, a fall, from Old French *cheoite*, the past participle of *cheoir*, to fall, from Latin *cadere*.
Is it rubbish chute or rubbish shoot?
Chute. The spelling with sh belongs to firing and filming.
What does parachute literally mean?
A guard against a fall, from French parer, to ward off, plus chute, a fall.