ferruginous
- adjective
- /fɛˈrʌdʒɪnəs/
- Specialized
:
ferruginoso
- The ferruginous landscape was dotted with rust-colored rocks and soil, creating a striking contrast with the green vegetation.
- ferruginous hawk
- ferruginous pygmy owl
- ferruginous pygmy
Examples
-
The pharmacists had to provide the poorest citizens with the necessary treatments (such as the Armenian bole, a ferruginous, ochreish, red clay used as a therapeutic substance against plague).
Academic text (2013) -
There are ferruginous ducks, which are another very rare worldwide species," Clark says.
Blog text (15) -
The sun, at noon, looked as blank as a clouded moon and shed a rust-colored, ferruginous light on the ground and floors of rooms; but was particularly lurid and blood-colored at rising and setting.
Academic text (2010) -
The artist used a ferruginous glaze to give the pottery a deep, reddish-brown color.
-
As the sunset approached, the sky took on a ferruginous hue, reminiscent of rust and adding warmth to the evening.
Synonyms
6
1.3
Having a red-brown color like old iron
2
3.0
A reddish-brown or orange-brown color like old metal
2
7.2
A material that contains iron, often a metal like steel
1
3.4
A reddish brown color like rust
1
2.8
A brown color with a red tint like old metal left outside
1
3.4
A red color with a brown-orange hint like rust
1
6.5
A reddish-brown color like the fur of some dogs
A brown color with a red-orange tone
Covered in red-brown flakes on old metal
How Reddish-Brown
Surface Forms
Morphology
ferruginous = ferrugin + ous
The combining form 'ferrugin-' is obscure to most learners and is not a productive standalone English base, so the adjective's meaning cannot be reliably derived from its visible parts.
Etymology
Ferruginous comes from Latin ferrugo ('rust') and ferrum ('iron'). So something called ferruginous is 'rust-colored' or contains iron, which is why rocks, soil, or feathers can look reddish-brown.