rub·ber
 rubber
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- pronunciation:
- ruh
b
r
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a stretchy substance made from the dried sap or liquid from certain tropical plants.
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| definition 2: |
this substance made tougher through a chemical process. Rubber is used to make tires, erasers, rubber bands, and many other things.
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| definition 3: |
(usually plural) an overshoe made of rubber.
He put on his rubbers before walking in the rain. |
| definition 4: |
the British word for an object, usually made of rubber or felt, that is used to erase writing or marks. This meaning of "rubber" has the same meaning as the American word "eraser."
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| derivation: |
rubberlike (adj.) |
The elastic substance obtained from tropical plants acquired the name
rubber in the 1700s because it was used to make erasers, which the British call "rubbers." Before that, "rubber" meant simply "a thing that rubs."