Webster's English Dictionary

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rubber

Cross references:
  1. caoutchouc             2. india rubber          
 
1. rub.ber \'r*b-*r\ \'r*b-(*-)re-\ n [fr. its use in erasers] often attrib 
    1a: one that rubs  1b: an instrument or object (as a rubber eraser) used 
   in rubbing, polishing , scraping, or cleaning 1c: something that prevents 
   rubbing or chafing  2a: an elastic substance obtained by coagulating the 
   milky juice of any of  various tropical plants (as of the genera Hevea and 
   Ficus) and prepared as sheets and then dried 2b: any of various synthetic 
   rubberlike substances  2c: natural or synthetic rubber modified by chemical 
   treatment to increase  its useful properties (as toughness and resistance 
   to wear) and used in tires, electrical insulation, and waterproof materials 
   3: something made of or resembling rubber : as  3a: a rubber overshoe  3b: 
   the pitcher's plate in baseball or softball  - rub.bery aj
2. rubber n [origin unknown] 1: a contest consisting of an odd number of 
   games won by the side that take s a majority (as two out of three) 2: an 
   odd game played to determine the winner of a tie