smut

English

/smʌt/

noun
Definitions
  • (uncountable) Soot.
  • (countable) A flake of ash or soot.
  • (uncountable) Sexually vulgar material; something that is sexual in a dirty way; pornographic material.
  • (uncountable) Obscene language; ribaldry; obscenity.
  • Any of a range of fungi, mostly Ustilaginomycetes, that cause plant disease in grasses, including cereal crops; the disease so caused.
  • (mining) Bad, soft coal containing earthy matter, found in the immediate locality of faults.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English smutten (debase, defile).

Origin

Middle English

smutten

Gloss

debase, defile

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms