dust / dəst/ • n. 1. fine, dry powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste matter lying on the ground or on surfaces or carried in the air: the car sent up clouds of dust they rolled and fought in the dust. ∎  any material in the form of tiny particles: coal dust. ∎  [in sing.] a fine powder: he ground it into a fine dust. ∎  [in sing.] a cloud of dust. ∎ poetic/lit. a dead person's remains: scatter my dust and ashes. ∎ poetic/lit. the mortal human body: the soul, that dwells within your dust.2. [in sing.] an act of dusting: a quick dust, to get rid of the cobwebs.• v. [tr.] 1. remove the dust from the surface of (something) by wiping or brushing it: I broke the vase I had been dusting pick yourself up and dust yourself off | [intr.] she washed and dusted and tidied. ∎  (dust something off) bring something out for use again after a long period of neglect: a number of aircraft will be dusted off and returned to flight. ∎  Baseball (dust someone off) deliver a pitch very near a batter so they must fall to the dirt to avoid being hit by it.2. (usu. be dusted) cover lightly with a powdered substance: roll out on a surface dusted with flour. ∎  sprinkle (a powdered substance) onto something: orange powder was dusted over the upper body.3. inf. beat up or kill someone: the officers dusted him up a little bit.PHRASES: dust and ashes used to convey a feeling of great disappointment or disillusion about something: the party would be dust and ashes if he couldn't come.the dust settles things quiet down: she hoped that the dust would settle quickly and the episode be forgotten.eat someone's dust inf. fall far behind someone in a competitive situation.gather (or collect) dust remain unused: some professors let their computers gather dust.leave someone/something in the dust surpass someone or something easily: today's modems leave their predecessors in the dust.DERIVATIVES: dust·less adj.

dust dust and ashes used to convey a feeling of great disappointment of disillusion about something; originally with allusion to the legend of the Dead Sea fruit.
shake the dust off one's feet depart indignantly or disdainfully; originally with allusion to Matthew 10:14.

See also ashes to ashes, dust to dust, a peck of dust in March.

dust sb. OE. dūst = MDu. donst, dūst (LG. dust, Du. duist meal-dust, bran), ON. dust. The primary notion seems to be ‘that which rises in a cloud’; cf. OHG. tun(i)st wind, breeze, G. dunst vapour.
Hence dust vb. †rise as dust XIII; †reduce to dust XV; soil with dust; free from dust XVI (whence duster XVI). dusty OE. dūstiġ.

dust Solid particles, the size of clay and silt particles (see PARTICLE SIZE), that can be raised and carried by the wind.