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rust

UK/ɹʊst/ US/ɹʌst/ fairly common
verb (3) noun (4) adjective (1)

verb

1.

become destroyed by water, air, or an etching chemical such as an acid

  • “The metal corroded”
  • “The pipes rusted”
Synonyms
2.

cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid

  • “The acid corroded the metal”
  • “The steady dripping of water rusted the metal stopper in the sink”
Synonyms
3.

noun

1.

a red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture

2.

a reddish-brown discoloration of leaves and stems caused by a rust fungus

3.

the formation of reddish-brown ferric oxides on iron by low-temperature oxidation in the presence of water

Synonyms
4.

any of various fungi causing rust disease in plants

Synonyms

adjective

1.

of the color of rust

Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From Middle English rust, rost, roust, from Old English rust, rūst (“rust”), from Proto-West Germanic *rust, from Proto-Germanic *rustaz (“rust”), from Proto-Indo-European *rudʰso- (“red”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (“red”). Cognate with Scots roust (“rust”), Saterland Frisian rust (“rust”), West Frisian roast (“rust”), Dutch roest (“rust”), German Rost (“rust”), Danish rust (“rust”), Swedish rost (“rust”), Norwegian rust, ryst (“rust”), Finnish ruoste, Estonian rooste. Related to red.

Phrases

  • black rust
  • carrot rust fly
  • cedar-apple rust
  • coffee leaf rust
  • coffee rust
  • ferric oxide
  • gooseberry rust
  • mayapple rust
  • myrtle rust
  • rust away
  • rust off
  • rust out

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

Part of

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.