Gutte

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small drop of a liquid, especially one formed by the process of condensation or solidification
2. A tiny droplet, particularly referring to droplets of fluids that collect or gather in a certain area
3. A specific term for a minute bead or droplet, often referencing liquids in a concentrated form

Etymology: In Doric temples, rows of small tapered pegs hang beneath the horizontal beam above the columns. Roman writers called them "guttae," the plural of "gutta," meaning drop, because the shapes were understood as drops of liquid caught in mid-fall and fixed in stone. Heraldry borrowed the idea for a small round spot of colour on a shield, meant to look like a falling drop. English took the term from French, where "gutte" carried the same sense, and it traces back to the Latin "gutta."