rubber
rubber Lexical Profile
rubber Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A tough, elastic polymeric substance made from the latex of a tropical plant or produced synthetically, used widely for its waterproofing and resilient properties.
"The tires on the tractor are made of heavily reinforced rubber."
British A small piece of rubber or similar material used to remove pencil or ink marks from paper.
"She realized her mistake and quickly searched her pencil case for a rubber."
A series of an odd number of games or matches, of which a majority must be won to win the overall contest.
"After winning one game each, the two teams played a tense rubber match to decide the championship."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, a 'rubber' commonly refers to a pencil eraser, whereas in American English slang, it frequently means a condom; this distinction can cause unintended embarrassment in cross-cultural communication.
• Rhymes for rubber
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the verb 'rub'. The specific sense referring to the material was coined in 1770 by chemist Joseph Priestley, who noted the substance's ability to 'rub' out pencil marks. The name of the tool (eraser) was soon applied to the material (caoutchouc) itself.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.