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smut

Syllabification: (smut)
Pronunciation: /smət/
Translate smut | into Italian
Definition of smut

noun

  • 1a small flake of soot or other dirt:all those black smuts from the engine
  • 2a fungal disease of grains in which parts of the ear change to black powder.
    • The fungi belong to Ustilago and other genera, order Ustilaginales, class Teliomycetes
  • 3obscene or lascivious talk, writing, or pictures:porn, in this view, is far from being harmless smut

verb (smuts, smutting, smutted)

[with object] (often as adjective smutted)
  • 1mark with flakes or soot or other dirt:the smutted sky
  • 2infect (a plant) with smut:smutted wheat

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'defile, corrupt, make obscene'): related to German schmutzen; compare with smudge1. The noun dates from the mid 17th century

smut in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of smut in the British & World English dictionary
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