rust
rust Lexical Profile
rust Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A reddish-brown or yellowish-brown flaky coating of iron oxide that is formed on iron or steel by oxidation, especially in the presence of moisture.
"The mechanic used a wire brush to scrape the flaky rust off the old bicycle frame."
A state of impaired skill, mental slowness, or deteriorated performance resulting from a lack of recent practice or activity.
"After a six-month injury layoff, the tennis player needed a few matches to shake off the rust."
A reddish-brown or orange-brown color resembling oxidized iron.
"The living room walls were painted in warm shades of ochre and rust."
A fungal plant disease that produces reddish or brownish powdery spots on leaves and stems, or any of the parasitic fungi (order Pucciniales) that cause it.
"A severe outbreak of wheat rust threatened the region's grain harvest this summer."
• verb
To become coated with oxide or corrode through exposure to moisture and air, or to cause metal to undergo such corrosion.
"If you leave the garden tools out in the rain, the metal blades will quickly rust."
To deteriorate or decline in quality, skill, or sharpness due to inactivity or lack of use.
"He practiced speaking French every week so that his hard-earned fluency would not rust."
• adjective
Of a reddish-brown or orange-brown color resembling oxidized iron.
"She wore a warm rust sweater that matched the autumn leaves."
• Rhymes for rust
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'rust', of West Germanic origin and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'red', making it a distant cognate of 'red' and 'ruby'.