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rusty

 [ruhs-tee]   Origin

rust·y

1   [ruhs-tee]
adjective, rust·i·er, rust·i·est.
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.
EXPAND
6.
having lost agility or alertness; out of practice: I am a bit rusty at tennis.
7.
(of a sound) grating or harsh.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
before 900; Middle English rusti, Old English rūstig; see rust, -y1

Related forms
rust·i·ly, adverb
rust·i·ness, noun

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Rusty is always a great word to know.
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a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

rust·y

2   [ruhs-tee]
adjective, rust·i·er, rust·i·est.
1.
restive; stubborn: a rusty horse.
2.
Chiefly Dialect. ill-tempered; cross.
Origin:
1555–65; apparently special use of rusty1; but compare obsolete resty restive

Rus·ty

   [ruhs-tee]
noun
a male or female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To rusty
Collins
World English Dictionary
rusty (ˈrʌstɪ)
 
—adj , rustier, rustiest
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
 
'rustily
 
—adv
 
'rustiness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rusty
O.E. rustig, from rust (see rust). Cf. Fris. roastich, M.Du. roestich, O.H.G. rostag, Ger. rostig. "In the 16th and 17th centuries frequently used as a term of general disparagement" [OED]. Of skills, accomplishments, etc., first attested 1796.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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