smuts
1
7.2
- noun
- /smʌts/
- Offensive
- She wiped away the smuts from the old photograph to see the image more clearly.
Examples
-
The table had several smuts from the spilled ink.
-
The magazine was criticized for including smuts that some readers found offensive.
-
The windowsill was covered in smuts after the storm had passed.
-
There were smuts all over the old book.
-
The table had several smuts from the spilled ink.
-
She wiped away the smuts from the old photograph to see the image more clearly.
-
There were smuts all over the old book.
Synonyms
473
1.0
A visible line, spot, scratch, or stain on a surface
35
1.9
A dirty mark on something that makes it look untidy
19
4.1
A messy mark left on a surface by a substance
11
2.7
A small mark often made by ink or dirt
6
9.1
A small spot of dirt on skin or clothing
1
7.7
A small spot of dirt or sticky food on something
1
9.9
A small spot or stain on a surface
1
9.8
A dirty mark that spoils the look of clothing or fabric
1
9.9
A small spot on a surface showing an imperfection
How Dirty
Surface Forms
Morphology
smuts = smut (transparent) = smut + s
Simple plural formation from the noun 'smut' meaning a dirty mark, so the meaning is directly derived and obvious to learners.
Etymology
Smuts originally meant 'soot' or a small black stain, so a smut is a little dirty spot like the soot left on a windowsill. That's why we call small dirty or offensive spots on surfaces and print 'smuts'.