DUST

dust

(noun) fine powdery material such as dry earth or pollen that can be blown about in the air; “the furniture was covered with dust”

dust

(noun) free microscopic particles of solid material; “astronomers say that the empty space between planets actually contains measurable amounts of dust”

debris, dust, junk, rubble, detritus

(noun) the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up

dust

(verb) remove the dust from; “dust the cabinets”

dust

(verb) rub the dust over a surface so as to blur the outlines of a shape; “The artist dusted the charcoal drawing down to a faint image”

scatter, sprinkle, dot, dust, disperse

(verb) distribute loosely; “He scattered gun powder under the wagon”

dust

(verb) cover with a light dusting of a substance; “dust the bread with flour”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Proper noun

Dust (plural Dusts)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Dust is the 26143rd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 936 individuals. Dust is most common among White (88.35%) individuals.

Anagrams

• UDTs, duts, stud

Etymology

Noun

dust (countable and uncountable, plural dusts)

Fine particles

(uncountable) Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, etc.

(astronomy, uncountable) Submicron particles in outer space, largely silicates and carbon compounds, that contribute greatly to extinction at visible wavelengths.

(obsolete) A single particle of earth or other material.

(countable) The act of cleaning by dusting.

The earth, as the resting place of the dead.

The earthy remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body.

(figurative) Something worthless.

(figurative) A low or mean condition.

(slang, dated) cash; money (in reference to gold dust).

(colloquial) A disturbance or uproar.

(mathematics) A totally disconnected set of points with a fractal structure.

Verb

dust (third-person singular simple present dusts, present participle dusting, simple past and past participle dusted)

(transitive) To remove dust from.

(intransitive) To remove dust; to clean by removing dust.

(intransitive) Of a bird, to cover itself in sand or dry, dusty earth.

(transitive) To spray or cover something with fine powder or liquid.

(chiefly, US slang) To leave; to rush off.

To reduce to a fine powder; to levigate.

To kill or severely disable.

Anagrams

• UDTs, duts, stud

Source: Wiktionary


Dust, n. Etym: [AS. dust; cf. LG. dust, D. duist meal dust, OD. doest, donst, and G. dunst vapor, OHG. tunist, dunist, a blowing, wind, Icel. dust dust, Dan. dyst mill dust; perh. akin to L. fumus smoke, E. fume. .]

1. Fine, dry particles of earth or other matter, so comminuted that they may be raised and wafted by the wind; that which is crumbled too minute portions; fine powder; as, clouds of dust; bone dust. Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Gen. iii. 19. Stop! -- for thy tread is on an empire's dust. Byron.

2. A single particle of earth or other matter. [R.] "To touch a dust of England's ground." Shak.

3. The earth, as the resting place of the dead. For now shall sleep in the dust. Job vii. 21.

4. The earthy remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body. And you may carve a shrine about my dust. Tennyson.

5. Figuratively, a worthless thing. And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust. Shak.

6. Figuratively, a low or mean condition. [God] raiseth up the poor out of the dust. 1 Sam. ii. 8.

7. Gold dust; hence: (Slang)

Definition: Coined money; cash. Down with the dust, deposit the cash; pay down the money. [Slang] "My lord, quoth the king, presently deposit your hundred pounds in gold, or else no going hence all the days of your life. . . . The Abbot down with his dust, and glad he escaped so, returned to Reading." Fuller.

– Dust brand (Bot.), a fungous plant (Ustilago Carbo); -- called also smut.

– Gold dust, fine particles of gold, such as are obtained in placer mining; -- often used as money, being transferred by weight.

– In dust and ashes. See under Ashes.

– To bite the dust. See under Bite, v. t.

– To raise, or kick up, dust, to make a commotion. [Colloq.] -- To throw dust in one's eyes, to mislead; to deceive. [Colloq.]

Dust, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dusted; p. pr. & vb. n. Dusting.]

1. To free from dust; to brush, wipe, or sweep away dust from; as, to dust a table or a floor.

2. To sprinkle with dust.

3. To reduce to a fine powder; to levigate. Sprat. To dyst one's jacket, to give one a flogging. [Slang.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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