rusticle

R1U1S1T1I1C3L1E1

noun

An icicle-shaped rust formation, formed on shipwrecks etc. by underwater microbes that consume iron.

Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounrusticle (plural rusticles)

plural rusticles

  1. An icicle-shaped rust formation, formed on shipwrecks etc. by underwater microbes that consume iron.

Origin

Blend of rust + icicle, coined by Robert Ballard, who first observed them on the wreck of the Titanic in 1986.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Greek σκωροκρύσταλλος
  • σκωροκρύσταλλος (skorokrýstallos)icicle-shaped rust formation
Cite this entry
APA

rusticle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rusticle

MLA

“rusticle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rusticle. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rusticle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rusticle.

Source: rusticle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.