crust

noun \ ˈkrəst \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of crust

1 a : the hardened exterior or surface part of bread

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

2 a : 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

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crust

verb

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crustal

play \ˈkrə-stᵊl\ adjective

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crustless

play \ˈkrəs(t)-ləs\ adjective

See crust defined for English-language learners

See crust defined for kids

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 of crust from the Web

The shrimp are fried with a crisp crust drizzled with a sweet chili sauce, a presentation that would overwhelm bland shrimp.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Food and family at heart of Baumhower's new playbook," 12 Apr. 2018
His rack of lamb looks great—pink and glistening, with a roasty brown crust rubbed with ground blood-orange peel and a bone that swings out of each chop like the grip on a saber.

— mike sula, Chicago Reader, "Tied House is that rarest of neighborhood restaurants: a destination," 12 Apr. 2018
There are also three choices for crust (regular, wheat, and gluten free).

— anna caplan, star-telegram, "Urban Bricks' serviceable fast-casual pizza in north Arlington lacking in authenticity | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 11 Apr. 2018
Terry Maley will speak about basalt, one of the most recognizable and common rocks in Earth’s crust.

— idahostatesman, "Bird walks are ready to take flight this month | Idaho Statesman," 11 Apr. 2018
Among his specialty cake flavors are his apple pie cake — a vanilla bean cake with pie crust, apple pie filling and caramel frosting; and his hot chocolate cake.

— francine knowles, Daily Southtown, "South Holland man has recipe for pastry success," 10 Apr. 2018
Those weak spots, likely caused by movements deep in the Earth’s crust, cause cracks and fault lines in the earth.

— megan friedman, Popular Mechanics, "Does This Massive Crack in the Earth Mean We’re Getting a Brand-New Continent?," 5 Apr. 2018
Indulge in one of their many cakes on offer, all rich and delicate at the same time, with that perfect crispy crust.

— jessica jungbauer, Condé Nast Traveler, "Where to Enjoy the German Tradition of 'Kaffee und Kuchen' in Berlin," 5 Apr. 2018
Pizza Crust Prepping for pizza night doesn’t have to be an all-day affair, thanks to Trader Joe’s gluten-free cheese pizza with a cauliflower crust.

— NBC News, "Nutritionist-approved convenience foods that save time on meal prep," 27 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of 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 ¹crystal).

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year