Rubiginous
[ro͞o-bij-ə-nəs]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 17th century
1.
Of a reddish-brown color, as rust
2.
Rusty or rusty-looking
Examples of Rubiginous in a sentence
"The rubiginous appearance of the metal pipes suggested they were old and should be replaced."
"We trekked across the hot, dry desert, our feet leaving prints in the rubiginous soil."
About Rubiginous
Something that's rubiginous has the reddish-brown color of rust, or may even be covered in actual rust. Rust is the result of a reaction between iron and oxygen combined with the presence of water or moisture. Eventually, given enough time, all iron will convert to rust and eventually disintegrate.
Did you Know?
Take another look at rubiginous — you might see part of a familiar word hidden inside it. Rubiginous shares Latin roots with another reddish word: ruby.
