Added 7 October 2026
rust
/ɹʌst/ noun
In Latin: ferrūgō, rōbīgō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rust at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture.
- A plant disease that produces a reddish-brown discoloration of leaves and stems; caused by various rust fungi.
- The formation of reddish-brown ferric oxides on iron by low-temperature oxidation in the presence of water.
verb
adjective
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)