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rouiller

to rust

verb roo-YEH Rare

Usage Note

Rouiller comes from rouille ('rust'). Figuratively, se rouiller means to get rusty in the sense of losing a skill through disuse — mon espagnol se rouille ('my Spanish is getting rusty'). The adjective rouillé describes a rusted object or a person who is out of practice.

Examples

"Le vieux portail a commencé à rouiller."

Natural Translation

The old gate started to rust.

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