Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various powdery or scaly reddish-brown or reddish-yellow hydrated ferric oxides and hydroxides formed on iron and iron-containing materials by low-temperature oxidation in the presence of water.
- noun Any of various metallic coatings, especially oxides, formed by corrosion.
- noun A stain or coating resembling iron rust.
- noun Deterioration, as of ability, resulting from inactivity or neglect.
- noun Rust fungus.
- noun A plant disease caused by a rust fungus, characterized by reddish or brownish spots on leaves, stems, and other parts.
- noun A strong brown.
- intransitive verb To become corroded.
- intransitive verb To deteriorate or degenerate through inactivity or neglect.
- intransitive verb To become the color of rust.
- intransitive verb Botany To develop a disease caused by a rust fungus.
- intransitive verb To corrode or subject (a metal) to rust formation.
- intransitive verb To impair or spoil, as by misuse or inactivity.
- intransitive verb To color (something) a strong brown.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Rust formed on iron by exposure to air and water often approaches pretty closely in composition the mineral limonite, a ferric oxyhydroxid (Fe4O3(HO)6). It also frequently contains some ferrous or ferrosoferric oxid and hydroxid, and is more or less perceptibly magnetic.
- An obsolete variant of
roost . - To contract or gather rust; be oxidized.
- To assume an appearance of rust, or as if coated with rust.
- To degenerate in idleness; become dull through inaction.
- To cause to contract rust.
- To impair by time and inactivity.
- noun The red or orange-yellow coating which is formed on the surface of iron when exposed to air and moisture; red oxid of iron; in an extended sense, any metallic oxid forming a coat on the metal.
- noun In metal-working, a composition of iron-filings and sal ammoniac, with sometimes a little sulphur, moistened with water and used for filling fast joints.
- noun In botany, a fungous growth on plants which resembles rust on metal; plant-disease caused by fungi of the class Uredineæ (which see, for special characterization): same as
brand , 6. See Fungi, mildew, Puccinia, and Trichobasis; alsoblack rust and red rust, below. - noun Any foul extraneous matter; a corrosive, injurious, or disfiguring accretion.
- noun Any growth, influence, or habit tending to injure the mental or moral faculties; a habit or tendency which clogs action or usefulness; also, the state of being affected with such a habit.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To cause to contract rust; to corrode with rust; to affect with rust of any kind.
- transitive verb To impair by time and inactivity.
- noun (Chem.) The reddish yellow coating formed on iron when exposed to moist air, consisting of ferric oxide or hydroxide; hence, by extension, any metallic film of corrosion.
- noun (Bot.) A minute mold or fungus forming reddish or rusty spots on the leaves and stems of cereal and other grasses (
Trichobasis Rubigo-vera ), now usually believed to be a form or condition of the corn mildew (Puccinia graminis ). As rust, it has solitary reddish spores; as corn mildew, the spores are double and blackish. - noun That which resembles rust in appearance or effects.
- noun Foul matter arising from degeneration.
- noun Corrosive or injurious accretion or influence.
- noun a joint made between surfaces of iron by filling the space between them with a wet mixture of cast-iron borings, sal ammoniac, and sulphur, which by oxidation becomes hard, and impervious to steam, water, etc.
- noun (Zoöl.) a minute mite (
Phytopius oleivorus ) which, by puncturing the rind, causes the rust-colored patches on oranges. - intransitive verb To contract rust; to be or become oxidized.
- intransitive verb To be affected with the parasitic fungus called rust; also, to acquire a rusty appearance, as plants.
- intransitive verb To degenerate in idleness; to become dull or impaired by inaction.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The deteriorated state of
iron orsteel as a result ofmoisture andoxidation . - noun A
reddish -brown color. - noun A
disease of plants caused by a reddish-brownfungus . - verb intransitive to oxidize, especially of
iron orsteel . - verb transitive to cause to oxidize.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb become coated with oxide
- verb become destroyed by water, air, or a corrosive such as an acid
- verb cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid
- noun a red or brown oxide coating on iron or steel caused by the action of oxygen and moisture
- noun the formation of reddish-brown ferric oxides on iron by low-temperature oxidation in the presence of water
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word rust.
Examples
-
If GM / Chrysler go, I guarantee you that the term rust belt will take on a whole new meaning, and dimension.
Wheels 2009
-
Oxidation can even cause the breakdown of hard metals, which we call rust.
The Chemistry of Calm M.D. Henry Emmons 2010
-
There they were, run off their legs, and no maintenance, and then after the war, it fell apart under us, we had what we called rust bucket campaigns, we had a situation for a long time where these carriages, and you know they carry nearly, well not nearly all, but a big proportion of Sydney to work.
POST WAR EXPANSION 2000
-
Ino saw one or two caked in rust and grease, looking like walking industrial accidents.
365 tomorrows » Sam Clough : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2009
-
I would go with the sandblasting if indeed the rust is deep.
-
Wash the residue away with water after the rust is removed, and then coat the pipe with WD-40.
10 Ways To Improve Your Quad Cassandra 2009
-
Obviously if the rust is severe you will have to try more drastic measures and probable the gun isn't worth the money involved.
-
Once the rust is cleaned up then season it, which is putting on the oil or grease and baking it.
-
Obviously if the rust is severe you will have to try more drastic measures and probable the gun isn't worth the money involved.
-
I would go with the sandblasting if indeed the rust is deep.
djsalinger commented on the word rust
used as a colour, by Sylvia Plath.
as a noun, referring to iron oxide, a rough but fragile corruption of a once strong metal, broken by the elements.
March 12, 2009