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crust Definition

crust (krust)

noun

    1. the hard, crisp outer part of bread
    2. a piece of this
    3. any dry, hard piece of bread
  1. the pastry shell of a pie
  2. any hard surface layer, as of snow or soil
  3. a hard deposit formed by wine on the inside surface of a bottle
  4. Slang audacity; insolence; gall
  5. Geol. the solid, rocky outer portion or shell of the earth; lithosphere
  6. Med. a dry, hard outer layer of blood, pus, or other bodily secretion

Etymology: ME cruste < OFr or L: OFr crouste < L crusta: for IE base see crude

transitive verb, intransitive verb

  1. to cover or become covered with a crust
  2. to form or harden into a crust

crust Synonyms

crust

n.

  1. A crisp covering

    hull, rind, piecrust, pastry shell; see coat 2, shell 1.

  2. A surface layer

    coating, covering, deposit; see coat 3, outside 1.

crust Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • subduct: As the subducting oceanic crust melts as it goes deeper into the Earth, the newly-created magma rises to the surface and forms volcanoes.
  • earn: There are much easier ways to earn a crooked crust.
  • remove: With a sharp object remove the remaining crust with a cloth dipped in oil.

Adjective modifier

  • oceanic: Beyond Hatton Bank lies the oceanic crust of the North Atlantic Ocean.
  • continental: The continental crust under Tibet is over 70 kilometers thick.
  • earth's: It's present in far larger quantities in the earth's crust than the other 'classical' metals.
  • breakable: Also the ice was thin and crusty in places with the breakable crust on the snow needing care.
  • icy: This hints at the near certainty of a totally liquid ocean beneath the icy crust.
  • upper: The servants sat down to their meal at a later time to the ' upper crust ' .

Modifies a noun

  • pastry: To make a rich short crust pastry, use a beaten whole egg, reserving a small amount to finish the dish.
  • pizza: That said, choosing a thick crust pizza base can add a lot of unnecessary calories to your meal.

Noun used with modifier

  • suet: Sussex Pond Pudding A Sussex Pond pudding has a steaming suet crust which encases a whole lemon with golden buttery sugar syrup.
  • pastry: Me, I can't make a nice pastry crust to save my life.
  • pie: Or is this still more Tory pie crust minus the filling?
  • ocean: The reserve appears to be the best preserved fragment of ocean crust known above sea level.
  • herb: During grilling, the marinade forms an herb crust that underscores the sweetness of the lamb.
  • pizza: Oscar then went back to the other room and dragged the pizza crust under the bathtub.

Possessives

  • earth: The Earth's crust is divided into big slabs, called plates, which are slowly moving all the time.

Preposition: of

  • bread: The slices of bread are stacked neatly, resting on a crust of bread.
  • earth: Nobody knows how much oil is left under the crust of the earth.
crust Quotes

It takes an earthquake to remind us that we walk on the crust of an unfinished earth.

—Kuralt, Charles

Shut close the door; press down the latch; Sleep in thy intellectual crust; Nor lose ten tickings of thy watch Near this unprofitable dust.

—Wordsworth,William

Browse dictionary entries near crust

  1. Crusoe
  2. crushing
  3. crush spread
  4. crush
  5. cruse
  6. crusado
  7. crusader
  8. crusade
  9. crus
  10. crural
  1. crustacean
  2. crustaceous
  3. crustal
  4. crusty
  5. crutch
  6. crux
  7. crux ansata
  8. cruzado
  9. crwth
  10. cry