Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

russet

/ˈɹʌsɪt/ noun

In Latin: russus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about russet at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A reddish-brown color.
russet:
A coarse, reddish-brown, homespun fabric; clothes made with such fabric.
A variety of apple with rough, russet-colored skin.

adjective

Having a reddish-brown color.
Gray or ash-colored.
Rustic, homespun, coarse, plain.

verb

To develop reddish-brown spots; to cause russeting.

Origin

From Middle English russet, from Anglo-Norman russet, rossat, roset, and Middle French rosset, rousset (“reddish, reddish-brown; a rough wool cloth”), from Middle French rous, rus (“to rouse”) + -et (diminutive suffix); compare Late Latin rossetum, russetum, russeta (“rough wool cloth”), Latin russus (“red”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (“red”)), Occitan rosseta (“rough wool cloth”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word