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  • rusk
    rusk
    noun
    a slice of sweet raised bread dried and baked again in the oven; zwieback.
  • Rusk
    Rusk
    noun
    (David) Dean, 1909–94, U.S. statesman: secretary of state 1961–69.
Synonyms

rusk

1 American  
[ruhsk] / rʌsk /

noun

  1. a slice of sweet raised bread dried and baked again in the oven; zwieback.

  2. light, soft, sweetened biscuit.

Rusk 2 American  
[ruhsk] / rʌsk /

noun

  1. (David) Dean, 1909–94, U.S. statesman: secretary of state 1961–69.

Rusk 1 British  
/ rʌsk /

noun

  1. ( David ) Dean . 1909–94, US statesman: secretary of state (1961–69). He defended US military involvement in Vietnam and opposed recognition of communist China

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
rusk 2 British  
/ rʌsk /

noun

  1. a light bread dough, sweet or plain, baked twice until it is brown, hard, and crisp: often given to babies

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rusk

1585–95; alteration Spanish or Portuguese rosca twist of bread, literally, screw

Explanation

A rusk is a very hard, dry cookie or bread that's commonly given to babies to gnaw on. You can also serve rusks at a party with cheese or a tasty dip. Rusks go through the baking process at least twice. By definition, hard cookies like Italian biscotti and crispy flatbreads like melba toast qualify as rusks, since both are twice — baked and have a dry, crisp texture. The term rusk most commonly applies specifically to the hard cookies that teething babies can safely chew on. The word comes from the Spanish rosca, "twist of bread."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But a few of the cockatoos are more discriminating, customizing their meals with one final flourish: Before eating the rock-hard rusk, they dunk it in a tub of water.

From New York Times • Dec. 12, 2023

Some restaurants will also serve breakfast with fruit pudding, a mix of flour, rusk, oatmeal and fruit.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2021

In 1972: sautéed frog legs Provençal, creamed Welsh rabbit on a Holland rusk, and, in a gust of brand names, “Hollywood Diet Bread” and “Steamed Uncle Ben’s Rice.”

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2017

I feel too fat to finish my rusk.

From The Guardian • Jul. 13, 2013

Dr. Trefusis paused in his enjoyment of a rusk.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.