Rusty

¹ American  

[ruhs-tee] / ˈrʌs ti /

noun

1. a male or female given name.

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rusty ² American  

[ruhs-tee] / ˈrʌs ti /

adjective

rustier, rustiest

1. covered with or affected by rust.

2. consisting of or produced by rust.

3. of or tending toward the color rust; rust-colored.

4. faded or shabby; impaired by time or wear, as clothes or drapery.

5. impaired through disuse or neglect.

   My Latin is rusty.

6. having lost agility or alertness; out of practice.

   I am a bit rusty at tennis.

7. (of a sound) grating or harsh.

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rusty ³ American  

[ruhs-tee] / ˈrʌs ti /

adjective

rustier, rustiest

1. restive; stubborn.

   a rusty horse.

2. Chiefly Dialect. ill-tempered; cross.

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rusty British  

/ ˈrʌstɪ /

adjective

1. covered with, affected by, or consisting of rust

   a rusty machine

   a rusty deposit

2. of the colour rust

3. discoloured by age

   a rusty coat

4. (of the voice) tending to croak

5. old-fashioned in appearance; seemingly antiquated

   a rusty old gentleman

6. out of practice; impaired in skill or knowledge by inaction or neglect

7. (of plants) affected by the rust fungus

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Other Word Forms

• rustily adverb
• rustiness noun

Etymology

Origin of rusty¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English rusti, Old English rūstig; rust, -y ¹

Origin of rusty¹

First recorded in 1555–65; apparently special use of rusty ¹, but compare obsolete resty restive

Example Sentences

The processors are part of a fast-growing network of data centers reshaping this rusty industrial corner of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

Let's hope the giant animatronic elephant hasn't gone rusty in its storage container.

From BBC

Joshua was something else: An active fighter, also aging and rusty at 36, but still fearsome and far, far larger.

From The Wall Street Journal

Water in many homes is tinged a rusty orange from iron and manganese in the soil, or pipe corrosion, and smells sour from sulfur.

From The Wall Street Journal

The winner takes home a turnip impaled on a rusty six inch nail in a block of wood as a trophy and a blue plaque.

From BBC