Words / B2

DUST-ee/ˈdʌsti/

Dusty means covered with dust, or dry and powdery: a dusty shelf; a dusty track. Dust is the noun (already in the dictionary); dirty is broader; arid is the climate twin for dry land. A dusty archive still needs a named box number. Mix-up: dusty vs dusty as a cliché for old ideas; dusk; do not write dusty for a wet, muddy path.

Meaning

Covered with dust; also dry and powdery (a dusty track).

Examples

• “A dusty archive still needs a named box number, the methods brief said.”
• “A dusty track featured on the OS extract, which is the dry-surface sense — still name the grid square.”

Good to know

a dusty + noun; dusty pink (colour). Noun: dust. Close: dirty / powdery. Trap: dusk / a cliché “dusty ideas” with no source. Methods, geography, and history. Covered with dust, or dry and powdery — name the box or the grid.

Near in meaning

dirty, powdery, grimy

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