Etymology From Middle Dutch ruter, rutter, variants of ruiter, from Middle French routier (“mercenary soldier”), corresponding to route + ier; see rout.
1
Historical A horseman or cavalryman, especially a German one, associated with the wars of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Such a regiment of rutters / Never defied men braverc. 1611, John Fletcher, The Woman's Prize, Act I, scene iv:
rutter
noun
Etymology From Middle French routier, corresponding to route + -ier.
1
Historical A set of instructions for navigating a course at sea; a pilot's book or seaman's guide.
But a rutter was only as good as the pilot who wrote it, the scribe who hand-copied it, the very rare printer who printed it, or the scholar who translated it.1975, James Clavell, Shōgun, Random House, published 2009, page 13:
rutter
noun
Etymology From rut + -er.
1
Scotland A tool used in peat cutting or for marking off ground.
2
Canada, US, Historical A type of plough used by lumberjacks to carve a track for a sleigh.