crust

noun

\ ˈkrəst

Definition of crust

1a : the hardened exterior or surface part of bread

b : a piece of this or of bread grown dry or hard

2a : the pastry shell of a pie : piecrust

b : the bready layer that forms the foundation of a pizza

3 : a hard or brittle external coat or covering: such as

a : a hard surface layer (as of soil or snow)

b : the outer part of a planet, moon, or asteroid composed essentially of crystalline rocks

c : a deposit built up on the interior surface of a wine bottle during long aging

d : an encrusting deposit (as of the eye) of dried secretions or exudate also : scab

4 : gall, nerve

Other Words from crust Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about crust

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Other Words from crust

crust verb

crustal \ ˈkrə-stᵊl

\ adjective

crustless \ ˈkrəs(t)-ləs

\ adjective

Examples of crust in a Sentence

Her children prefer to eat their sandwiches with the crust cut off. a pie with flaky crust He likes pizza with thin crust.

Recent Examples on the Web

The crust, Jet’s says, bakes up thin and crispy and can be topped with any premium topping including those on their specialty pizzas. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Pizza crust without all the carbs now at Jet's," 4 June 2019 Dust the mat with a bit of potato starch so that the crust doesn't stick. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "How to Make Cauliflower Pizza Crust That Doesn't Fall Apart," 18 Apr. 2019 Over time, as orbital changes heated up this region, the nitrogen would start to sublimate away into the atmosphere, perhaps breaking through a water ice crust to do so. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Enigmatic ridges on Pluto may be the remains of vanished nitrogen glaciers," 17 Nov. 2018 When cooking for family gatherings, Penny Pierce usually pulls out a yellowed card with frayed edges to scrutinize the fading recipe for her favorite pie crust. — Ellen Byron, WSJ, "As Recipe Cards Disappear, Families Scramble to Preserve Cherished Memories," 29 Jan. 2019 Both varieties of our Cauliflower Pizza Crust are vegan* and made with real, simple ingredients and offer incredible convenience – none of the prep work or cleanup that comes with making a cauliflower crust from scratch. — Good Housekeeping, "Introducing NEW Green Giant™ Cauliflower Pizza Crust," 11 Dec. 2018 Bake until crust is golden brown and fruit is tender, 70 to 80 minutes, covering with foil if getting too dark. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Apple and Pear Tart," 15 Feb. 2019 Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "What’s on the Menu at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards Dinner? Chicken Pot Pie, of Course," 6 Nov. 2018 Roll out on a floured countertop and spread over prewarmed chili (or beef and gravy, stews or creamed vegetables) in a casserole dish and place in oven until crust is brown. — Roy Berendson, Popular Mechanics, "How To Make Simple, Easy Pancakes," 1 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crust.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for crust

Middle English crouste, cruste, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French cruste, crouste, going back to Latin crusta "hard coating or surface layer, shell of an arthropod or crustacean, mineral flake, stone slab used in paneling," perhaps, if going back to *krus-to- "something crushed or pounded into a hard layer," from a zero-grade nominal derivative of Indo-European *kreu̯s- "beat, crush, pound," whence also Old English hruse "earth, ground," Old High German roso, rosa "crust, layer of ice" (going back to Germanic *hrusōn-) — more at anacrusis

Note: The hypothetical base *krus-to- is suggested by Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages (Leiden: Brill, 2008), p. 147, though the older handbooks (Walde-Hoffman, Ernout-Meillet) tend to support a connection with Greek krýos "icy cold, frost" and other derivatives, going back to a presumed homonymous *krus- (see cryo-). As de Vaan points out, however, Latin crusta does not mean "ice." The original sense of the Germanic noun *hrusōn- is not certain. Greek krýstallos "ice, rock crystal" is almost certainly unrelated (see crystal entry 1).