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8 dictionary results for: rubber

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

rub·ber1

[ruhb-er] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	Also called India rubber, natural rubber, gum elastic, caoutchouc. a highly elastic solid substance, light cream or dark amber in color, polymerized by the drying and coagulation of the latex or milky juice of rubber trees and plants, esp. Hevea and Ficus species.

a material made by chemically treating and toughening this substance, valued for its elasticity, nonconduction of electricity, shock absorption, and resistance to moisture, used in the manufacture of erasers, electrical insulation, elastic bands, crepe soles, toys, water hoses, tires, and many other products.

3.	any of various similar substances and materials made synthetically. Compare synthetic rubber.

4.	rubber band.

5.	an eraser of this material, for erasing pencil marks, ink marks, etc.

6.	Informal. a rubber tire or a set of rubber tires.

7.	a low overshoe of this material.

8.	an instrument or tool used for rubbing, polishing, scraping, etc.

9.	a person who rubs something, as to smooth or polish it.

10.	cutter (def. 7).

11.	British. a dishcloth.

12.	a person who gives massages; masseur or masseuse.

13.	swipe (def. 6).

14.	Baseball. an oblong piece of white rubber or other material embedded in the mound at the point from which the pitcher delivers the ball.

15.	a coarse file.

16.	Slang. a condom.

–verb (used without object)

17.	Informal. to rubberneck.

–adjective

18.	made of, containing, or coated with rubber: a rubber bath mat.

19.	pertaining to or producing rubber: a rubber plantation.

[Origin: 1530–40; rub + -er¹

]

—Related forms

rub·ber·less, adjective

rub·ber·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

rub·ber2

[ruhb-er] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	(in certain card games, as bridge and whist)

2.	a series or round played until one sidereaches a specific score or wins a specific number of hands.

3.	a series consisting of an odd number of games won by the side winning the majority, usually two out of three.

4.	the deciding game in such a series.

–adjective

5.	Also called rubber match. Sports. noting a deciding contest between two opponents who have previously won the same number of contests from each other.

[Origin: 1585–95; orig. uncert.

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

rub·ber¹ (rŭb'ər) Pronunciation Key
n.

A yellowish, amorphous, elastic material obtained from the milky sap or latex of various tropical plants, especially the rubber tree, and vulcanized, pigmented, finished, and modified into products such as electric insulation, elastic bands and belts, tires, and containers. Also called caoutchouc, India rubber.
Any of numerous synthetic elastic materials of varying chemical composition with properties similar to those of natural rubber.
A low overshoe made of rubber.
Baseball The rectangular piece of hard rubber that the pitcher must remain in contact with when making a pitch.
Something made of rubber, as:
1. An eraser.
2. A tire.
3. A set of tires on a vehicle.
Slang A condom.
One that rubs, especially one that gives a massage.

[From rub.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

rub·ber² (rŭb'ər) Pronunciation Key
n.

A series of games of which two out of three or three out of five must be won to terminate the play.
An odd game played to break a tie.

[Origin unknown.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
rubber

"thing that rubs," 1536, from rub (v.). The meaning "elastic substance from tropical plants" (short for India rubber) first recorded 1788, introduced to Europe 1744 by Charles Marie de la Condamine, so called because it was originally used as an eraser.

"Very useful for erasing the strokes of black lead pencils, and is popularly called rubber, and lead-eater." [entry for Caoutchouc in, Howard, "New Royal Encyclopedia," 1788]

Meaning "overshoes made of rubber" is 1842, Amer.Eng.; slang sense of "condom" is from 1930s. Sense of "deciding match" in a game or contest is 1599, of unknown origin, and perhaps an entirely separate word. Rubberneck (v.) is attested from 1896. Rubber stamp is from 1881; fig. sense of "institution whose power is formal but not real" is from 1919; the v. in this sense is from 1934. Rubber cement is attested from 1895. Rubber check is from 1927.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

rubber
adjective
1.	returned for lack of funds; "a rubber check"; "a no-good check"
noun
1.	an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products
2.	any of various synthetic elastic materials whose properties resemble natural rubber
3.	an eraser made of rubber (or of a synthetic material with properties similar to rubber); commonly mounted at one end of a pencil [syn: rubber eraser]
4.	contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse [syn: condom]
5.	a waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow [syn: arctic]
verb
1.	coat or impregnate with rubber; "rubberize fabric for rain coats" [syn: rubberize]

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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

rubber (rŭb'ər) Pronunciation Key

An elastic material prepared from the milky sap of certain tropical plants, especially the tree Hevea brasiliensis. Rubber is a polymer that is used, after processing, in a great variety of products, including electric insulation and tires. In its pure form, it is white and consists of repeating units of C₅H₈.
Any of various synthetic materials having properties that are similar to those of this substance.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Rubber

Rub"ber\, n. 1. One who, or that which, rubs. Specifically: (a) An instrument or thing used in rubbing, polishing, or cleaning. (b) A coarse file, or the rough part of a file. (c) A whetstone; a rubstone. (d) An eraser, usually made of caoutchouc. (e) The cushion of an electrical machine. (f) One who performs massage, especially in a Turkish bath. (g) Something that chafes or annoys; hence, something that grates on the feelings; a sarcasm; a rub. --Thackeray.

2. In some games, as whist, the odd game, as the third or the fifth, when there is a tie between the players; as, to play the rubber; also, a contest determined by the winning of two out of three games; as, to play a rubber of whist. --Beaconsfield. "A rubber of cribbage." --Dickens.

3. India rubber; caoutchouc.

4. An overshoe made of India rubber. [Colloq.]

Antimony rubber, an elastic durable variety of vulcanized caoutchouc of a red color. It contains antimony sulphide as an important constituent.

Hard rubber, a kind of vulcanized caoutchouc which nearly resembles horn in texture, rigidity, etc.

India rubber, caoutchouc. See Caoutchouc.

Rubber cloth, cloth covered with caoutchouc for excluding water or moisture.

Rubber dam (Dentistry), a shield of thin sheet rubber clasped around a tooth to exclude saliva from the tooth.

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