# rusticle

> English word · Noun

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

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

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