crust

noun \ ˈkrəst \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Examples: crust in a Sentence

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

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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

Ripe, yellow tomatoes brought a farm-market touch to a flaky pastry crust layered with creamy sheep’s milk ricotta, arugula pesto, and a sweet-tart balsamic drizzle.

— craig laban, Philly.com, "The Bercy adds French brasserie sheen to thriving Ardmore scene," 13 July 2018
The elegant restaurant serves classic Neapolitan-style pizza with perfectly doughy crust and spare, flavorful toppings.

— melanie d.g. kaplan, chicagotribune.com, "Boulder, Colorado, does things its own way," 12 July 2018
Good pizza, festive atmosphere, and a novelty: Diners are encouraged to pour a dollop of local honey on their crusts.

— christopher reynolds, latimes.com, "Sitting in the palm of nature: The unique energy — and performances — of Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre," 12 July 2018
Pick a pie filling and a crust and get in the kitchen.

— Indianapolis Star, "Eyes on the Pies," 5 July 2018
The house dough here produces a crust on the thick side, a texture that might bother some.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "Good pizza, pasta and more at Pie in the Sky," 27 June 2018
Kapur wants the bun to have some crunch, but allowing the exterior to harden to a crust would limit how airy the dough could grow.

— ali bouzari, SFChronicle.com, "Housemade: The magic of Liholiho Yacht Club," 22 June 2018
When pan searing fish, pat it dry to help ensure a nice crust.

— nancy miller, The Courier-Journal, "Constantly evolving MilkWood helps shape Louisville's food scene," 19 June 2018
For the crust, mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl until well blended.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Celebrate National Pecan Pie Day with a modern take on this classic," 12 July 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

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