From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Rubber \Rub"ber\, n.
1. One who, or that which, rubs. Specifically:
(a) An instrument or thing used in rubbing, polishing, or
cleaning.
(b) A coarse file, or the rough part of a file.
(c) A whetstone; a rubstone.
(d) An eraser, usually made of caoutchouc or a synthetic
rubber[4].
(e) The cushion of an electrical machine.
(f) One who performs massage, especially in a Turkish
bath.
(g) Something that chafes or annoys; hence, something that
grates on the feelings; a sarcasm; a rub. --Thackeray.
[1913 Webster]
2. In some games, as bridge or whist, the odd game, as the
third or the fifth, which decides the winner when there is
a tie between the players; as, to play the rubber; also, a
contest determined by the winning of two out of three
games; as, to play a rubber of whist. --Beaconsfield. "A
rubber of cribbage." --Dickens.
[1913 Webster]
3. India rubber; caoutchouc; gum elastic; -- also called
{natural rubber}.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
4. Any substance, whether natural or synthetic, resembling
India rubber with respect to its elasticity[1].
[PJC]
5. A low-cut overshoe made of natural or synthetic rubber[4],
serving to keep the feet and shoes dry when walking in the
rain or on a wet surface; -- usually used in the plural.
[1913 Webster]
6. A {condom}. [Slang]
[PJC]
{Antimony rubber}, an elastic durable variety of vulcanized
caoutchouc of a red color. It contains antimony sulphide
as an important constituent.
{Hard rubber}, a kind of vulcanized caoutchouc which nearly
resembles horn in texture, rigidity, etc.
{India rubber}, caoutchouc. See {Caoutchouc}.
{Rubber cloth}, cloth covered with caoutchouc for excluding
water or moisture.
{Rubber dam} (Dentistry), a shield of thin sheet rubber
clasped around a tooth to exclude saliva from the tooth.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
rubber
adj 1: returned for lack of funds; "a rubber check"; "a no-good
check" [syn: {rubber}, {no-good}]
n 1: an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees
(especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can
be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products [syn:
{rubber}, {natural rubber}, {India rubber}, {gum elastic},
{caoutchouc}]
2: any of various synthetic elastic materials whose properties
resemble natural rubber [syn: {rubber}, {synthetic rubber}]
3: an eraser made of rubber (or of a synthetic material with
properties similar to rubber); commonly mounted at one end of
a pencil [syn: {rubber eraser}, {rubber}, {pencil eraser}]
4: contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or
latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse [syn:
{condom}, {rubber}, {safety}, {safe}, {prophylactic}]
5: a waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow
[syn: {arctic}, {galosh}, {golosh}, {rubber}, {gumshoe}]
v 1: coat or impregnate with rubber; "rubberize fabric for rain
coats" [syn: {rubberize}, {rubberise}, {rubber}]
From Dutch-English Freedict Dictionary ver. 0.1.3 [fd-nld-eng]:
rubber /rɵbər/
rubber
|