Strut

How to spell strut

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce strut

What does strut mean?

1. verbTo walk with a stiff, proud, self-important step.
2. nounA rigid bar or rod that braces or supports part of a structure.

Strut in a sentence

• verb

  The models began to strut down the runway in the new collection.

• noun

  A cracked strut in the suspension made the car ride roughly.

• verb

  He likes to strut around the office after closing a big deal.

• noun

  The engineer added a steel strut to brace the sagging roof.

Where does strut come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Strut traces back to Old English and the broader Germanic family, where forms related to it carried the sense of standing out stiffly or swelling with pride. An Old English verb meaning to stand rigid or to project gave way through Middle English to the modern idea of walking in a stiff, self-important manner, as if puffed up. The structural meaning, a rigid bar that braces or props something, grew from the same notion of stiffness and rigidity rather than from a separate source. Both senses share the picture of something held firm and unbending, which is why the proud walk and the supporting bar are spelled alike. The word stayed short and consonant-heavy as native Germanic words tend to, which is exactly why the spelling holds no real surprises.

How the word is built

• strut (single Germanic root; no prefix or suffix)