- Hard rubber
- Rubber Rub"ber, n.
1. One who, or that which, rubs. Specifically:
(a) An instrument or thing used in rubbing, polishing, or
cleaning.
(b) A coarse file, or the rough part of a file.
(c) A whetstone; a rubstone.
(d) An eraser, usually made of caoutchouc or a synthetic
rubber[4].
(e) The cushion of an electrical machine.
(f) One who performs massage, especially in a Turkish
bath.
(g) Something that chafes or annoys; hence, something that
grates on the feelings; a sarcasm; a rub. --Thackeray.
[1913 Webster]
2. In some games, as bridge or whist, the odd game, as the third or the fifth, which decides the winner when there is a tie between the players; as, to play the rubber; also, a contest determined by the winning of two out of three games; as, to play a rubber of whist. --Beaconsfield. ``A rubber of cribbage.'' --Dickens. [1913 Webster]
3. India rubber; caoutchouc; gum elastic; -- also called {natural rubber}. [1913 Webster +PJC]
4. Any substance, whether natural or synthetic, resembling India rubber with respect to its elasticity[1]. [PJC]
5. A low-cut overshoe made of natural or synthetic rubber[4], serving to keep the feet and shoes dry when walking in the rain or on a wet surface; -- usually used in the plural. [1913 Webster]
6. A {condom}. [Slang] [PJC]
{Antimony rubber}, an elastic durable variety of vulcanized caoutchouc of a red color. It contains antimony sulphide as an important constituent.
{Hard rubber}, a kind of vulcanized caoutchouc which nearly resembles horn in texture, rigidity, etc.
{India rubber}, caoutchouc. See {Caoutchouc}.
{Rubber cloth}, cloth covered with caoutchouc for excluding water or moisture.
{Rubber dam} (Dentistry), a shield of thin sheet rubber clasped around a tooth to exclude saliva from the tooth. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.