dust

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English [edit]

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Etymology [edit]

From Middle English dust, doust, from Old English dust, dūst (“dust, dried earth reduced to powder; other dry material reduced to powder”), from the fusion of Proto-Germanic *dustą (“dust”) and Proto-Germanic *dunstą (“mist, dust, evaporation”), both from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewes-, *dʰews-, *dʰwAn-, *dʰūw- (“to smoke, raise dust”). Cognate with Scots dust, dist (“dust”), Dutch duist (“pollen, dust”) and dons (“down, fuzz”), German Dust (“dust”) and Dunst (“haze”), Swedish dust (“dust”), Icelandic dust (“dust”), Latin fūmus (“smoke, steam”). Also related to Swedish dun (“down, fluff”), Icelandic dúnn (“down, fluff”). See down.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

dust (countable and uncountable; plural dusts)

  1. (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.
  2. (countable) The act of cleaning by dusting.
    • 2010, Joan Busfield, Michael Paddon, Thinking About Children: Sociology and Fertility in Post-War England (page 150)
      […] once they start school, I mean you can do a room out one day, the next day it only needs a dust, doesn't it?
  3. (mathematics) A totally disconnected set of points with a fractal structure.

Translations [edit]

fine, dry particles
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Derived terms [edit]

Verb [edit]

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

  1. (transitive) To remove dust from.
    The cleaning lady needs a stool to dust the cupboard.
  2. (intransitive) To remove dust; to clean by removing dust.
    Dusting always makes me cough.
  3. (intransitive) Of a bird, to cover itself in sand or dry, dusty earth.
  4. (transitive) To spray or cover something with fine powder or liquid.
    The mother dusted her baby's bum with talcum powder.
  5. (chiefly US slang) To leave; to rush off.
    • 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin 2011, p. 75:
      He added in a casual tone: ‘The girl can dust. I'd like to talk to you a little, soldier.’

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

(intransitive) to clean by removing dust
(transitive) to remove dust from
of a bird, to cover itself in sand
to spray something with fine powder or liquid
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

See also [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

Norwegian [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

Back-formation of dustet, from Old Norse dust (dust particle)

Noun [edit]

dust m

  1. (pejorative) dork, moron, tool
Inflection [edit]
    Inflection of dust
indefinite singular definite singular indefinite plural definite plural
Bokmål m dust dusten duster dustene
Nynorsk m dust dusten dustar dustane
Derived terms [edit]
Synonyms [edit]
References [edit]
  • “dust” in The Bokmål Dictionary / The Nynorsk Dictionary – Dokumentasjonsprosjektet.

Etymology 2 [edit]

From Old Norse dust.

Noun [edit]

dust

  1. dust (fine, dry particles)
Inflection [edit]
    Inflection of dust
indefinite singular definite singular indefinite plural definite plural
Bokmål f dust dusta duster dustene
Bokmål m dust dusten duster dustene
Nynorsk f dust dusta [dusti] duster dustene
References [edit]
  • “dust” in The Bokmål Dictionary / The Nynorsk Dictionary – Dokumentasjonsprosjektet.

Old English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Proto-Germanic *dunstiz (“dust, vapor”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰew- (“vapor, smoke”). Akin to Hindi  (dua, “smoke”), Middle Dutch dost, donst, duust (Dutch dons, duist), Old High German tunst, dunst (German Dunst), Low German dust, Icelandic dust, Norwegian dust, Danish dyst.

Noun [edit]

dūst n

  1. dust; powder; mill dust

Declension [edit]

    Declension of dust (strong a-stem)
Singular Plural
nominative dūst dūst
accusative dūst dūst
genitive dūstes dūsta
dative dūste dūstum

Descendants [edit]

Old Norse [edit]

Noun [edit]

dust n

  1. dust particle

Scottish Gaelic [edit]

Noun [edit]

dust m (genitive dust, no plural)

  1. dust

Usage notes [edit]

  • Also used figuratively for corpse.

Synonyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

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