# crust

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɹʌst/ · frequency rank #11,194

## Definitions
1. A more solid, dense or hard layer on a surface or boundary.
2. The external, hardened layer of certain foodstuffs, including most types of bread, fried meat, etc.
3. An outer layer composed of pastry
4. The bread-like base of a pizza.
5. A slice of bread cut from the end of a loaf; the heel.
6. The outermost layer of the lithosphere of the Earth.
7. The outermost layer of the lithosphere of any terrestrial planet.
8. The shell of crabs, lobsters, etc.
9. A living.
10. Nerve, gall.
11. The head.
12. Ellipsis of crust punk, a subgenre of punk music.

## Etymology
From Middle English cruste, from Anglo-Norman and Old French cruste, from Latin crusta (“hard outer covering”), from Proto-Indo-European *krustós (“hardened”), from *krews- (“to form a crust, begin to freeze”), related to Old Norse hroðr (“scurf”), Old English hruse (“earth”), Old High German hrosa (“crust, ice”), Latvian kruvesis (“frozen mud”), Ancient Greek κρύος (krúos, “frost, icy cold”), κρύσταλλος (krústallos, “crystal, ice”), Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬎𐬰𐬛𐬭𐬀- (xruzdra-, “hard”), Sanskrit क्रूड् (krūḍ, “thicken, make hard”).

## Easily confused with
- **cut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cut)
- **CST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cst)
- **cult** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cult)
- **Cruz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cruz)
- **cunt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cunt)
- **curt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-curt)
- **cyst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cyst)
- **crux** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-crux)
- **cusp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cusp)
- **cuss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cuss)
- **Cyrus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-cyrus)
- **crypt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-crypt)
- **crusty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-crusty)
- **crusts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-crusts)
- **crusted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crust-vs-crusted)
- **CRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crt-vs-crust)
- **CRS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crs-vs-crust)
- **cru** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cru-vs-crust)
- **cost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cost-vs-crust)
- **cast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cast-vs-crust)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ccrust`, `crrust`, `crsut`, `crusst`, `crustt`, `cruts`, `curst`, `rcust`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crust