Word: out Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-West Germanic *ūt Old English ūt ▲ Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-Germanic *-ai Proto-Germanic *ūtai Proto-West Germanic *ūtē Old English ūte Middle English oute English out From Middle English out, oute, from a combination of Old English ūt (“out”, preposition & adverb), from Proto-West Germanic *ūt, from Proto-Germanic *ūt (“out”); and Old English ūte (“outside; without”, adverb), from Proto-Germanic *ūtai (“out; outside”); both from Proto-Indo-European *úd (“upwards, away”). Cognates Cognate with Scots oot (“out”), Yola out, outh, udh, ut, uth (“out”), North Frisian üt, ütj (“out”), Saterland Frisian uut (“out of”), West Frisian út (“out”), Cimbrian aus, auz (“out, outwards”), Dutch uit (“out”), German and Luxembourgish aus (“out”), Yiddish אויס (oys, “over, finished”), Danish ud (“out; outside”), Icelandic út (“out”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ut (“out”), Gothic 𐌿𐍄 (ut, “out of”). Pronunciation: /ˈäʊ̯t/, /ˈawt/, /ˈuːt/, /ˈʌʉt/, /ˈaʊ̯t/ 1. A means of exit, escape, reprieve, etc. Example: They wrote the law to give those organizations an out. Example: You might phrase it like this, for example: “I’ve noticed you’ve been making some healthier choices. I’ve been thinking about starting a GLP-1, and I’m wondering if you’ve thought about it.” That gives the other person an out—they can easily brush off or shut down the conversation if they’d rather not get into it. 2. A state in which a member of the batting team is removed from play due to the application of various rules of the game such as striking out, hitting a fly ball which is caught by the fielding team before bouncing, etc. Example: The first time I saw Amity we were in front of her house playing work-up, a baseball variation where you move from position to position by outs until you get to bat. 3. A dismissal; a state in which a member of the batting team finishes his turn at bat, due to the application of various rules of the game, such as the bowler knocking over the batsman's wicket with the ball. 4. A card which can make a hand a winner. Example: As a beginner, when you are in a hand, you should practice counting your outs, or those live cards left in the deck that can improve your hand. Example: If he did have a bigger ace, I still had at least six outs — the case ace, two nines, and three tens. I could also have more outs if he held anything less than A-K. 5. A trip out; an outing. Labels: dated Example: Us London lawyers don't often get an out; and when we do, we like to make the most of it, you know. 6. One who, or that which, is out; especially, one who is out of office. Labels: in-plural Example: This memoir has nothing to do with the question between the ins and the outs; it is intended neither to support nor to assail the administration; it is general in its views upon a general and national subject; […] 7. A place or space outside of something; a nook or corner; an angle projecting outward; an open space. 8. A word or words omitted by the compositor in setting up copy; an omission. Labels: dated 9. An outtake. Labels: colloquial Example: It's an interesting film. I've always felt that he made it out of our outs [outtakes]: which was like he was trying to prove something. 10. A dram glass. Labels: obsolete Example: […] one gentleman called to the waiter, 'Bring me a quartern of gin and two outs (glasses), for me and this chap to drink Mullens' health.'