English Explanatory Dictionary

smut

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Soot.
  2. A flake of ash or soot.
  3. Sexually vulgar material; something that is sexual in a dirty way; pornographic material.
  4. Obscene language; ribaldry; obscenity.
  5. Any of a range of fungi, mostly Ustilaginomycetes, that cause plant disease in grasses, including cereal crops; the disease so caused.
  6. Bad, soft coal containing earthy matter, found in the immediate locality of faults.
  7. A copper boiler.
verb
  1. To stain (or be stained) with soot or other dirt.
  2. To taint (grain, etc.) with the smut fungus.
  3. To become tainted by the smut fungus.
  4. To clear of the smut fungus.

Pronunciation

/smʌt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-smut.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-smut.wav /smʊt/

Word forms

smut smuts smutting smutted

Etymology

From Middle English smutten (“to defile, debase”), related to German Schmutz (“filth, dirt, smut”) and schmutzen (“to make dirty, stain”). Doublet of schmutz. Compare also Old English smitta (“smear; blot; mark; stain; pollution”), Old English besmītan (“to besmut; defile; dirty; pollute; contaminate”).

Synonyms

filth befoul smutch smutty soil assoil beclart bedaub bedirty imbrue (especially with blood) bedizen befile befilth begrime beray beshit besmear besmirch besully bewray blacken blot blur clat contaminate darken defile dirten dirty elt file foil foul gunk gunk up inquinate scunge sling mud slotter slur smear smirch smudge smut soss sowl spot stain sullow sully tarnish uggle

Derived words

antismut barley smut besmut corn smut cybersmut false loose smut hetsmut loose smut onion smut smut-ball smutfest smutfic smut fungus smuthound smutless smutmonger smutproof smutter smutty Treksmut
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