What is "rubber"

Rubber \Rub"ber\, n.

1. One who, or that which, rubs. Specifically:

   1. An instrument or thing used in rubbing, polishing, or cleaning.

   2. A coarse file, or the rough part of a file.

   3. A whetstone; a rubstone.

   4. An eraser, usually made of caoutchouc or a synthetic rubber[4].

   5. The cushion of an electrical machine.

   6. One who performs massage, especially in a Turkish bath.

   7. Something that chafes or annoys; hence, something that grates on the feelings; a sarcasm; a rub.
      --Thackeray.

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.

3. India rubber; caoutchouc; gum elastic; -- also called natural rubber.

4. Any substance, whether natural or synthetic, resembling India rubber with respect to its elasticity[1].

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.

6. A condom. [Slang]

   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.

"thing that rubs" (a brush, cloth, etc.), 1530s, agent noun from rub (v.). The meaning "elastic substance from tropical plants" (short for India rubber) first recorded 1788, introduced to Europe 1744 by Charles Marie de la Condamine, so called because it originally was used as an eraser.Very useful for erasing the strokes of black lead pencils, and is popularly called rubber, and lead-eater. [entry for Caoutchouc in Howard, "New Royal Encyclopedia," 1788]Meaning "overshoe made of rubber" is 1842, American English; slang sense of "condom" is by 1930s. Sense of "deciding match" in a game or contest is 1590s, of unknown signification, and perhaps an entirely separate word. Rubber stamp (n.) is from 1881; figurative sense of "institution whose power is formal but not real" is from 1919; the verb in this sense is from 1934. Rubber cement is attested from 1856 (from 1823 as India-rubber cement). Rubber check (one that "bounces") is from 1927.

Etymology 1 n. 1 (context uncountable English) pliable material derived from the sap of the rubber tree; a hydrocarbon polymer of isoprene. 2 (context uncountable countable English) synthetic materials with the same properties as natural rubber. 3 (context countable UK English) An eraser. 4 (context countable North America slang English) A condom. 5 (context slang of a draft/check English) not covered by funds on account. 6 (context countable English) Someone or something which rubs. 7 (context countable baseball English) The rectangular pad on the pitcher's mound from which the pitcher must pitch. 8 (context North America in the plural English) Water resistant shoe covers, galoshes, overshoes. 9 (context uncountable slang English) tire, particularly racing tires. Etymology 2

n. 1 (context sports English) In relation to a series of games or matches between two competitors where the overall winner of the series is the competitor which wins a majority of the individual games or matches: 2 # The entire series, of an odd number of games or matches in which ties are impossible (especially a series of three games in bridge or whist). 3 # An individual match within the series (especially in racquet sports). 4 (context sports North America English) a rubber match; a game or match played to break a tie. 5 The game of rubber bridge. Etymology 3

vb. To eavesdrop on a telephone call

1. n. latex from trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) [syn: India rubber, gum elastic, caoutchouc]

2. an eraser made of rubber (or of a synthetic material with properties similar to rubber); commonly mounted at one end of a pencil [syn: rubber eraser, pencil eraser]

3. contraceptive device consisting of a thin rubber or latex sheath worn over the penis during intercourse [syn: condom, safety, safe, prophylactic]

4. a waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow [syn: arctic, galosh, golosh, gumshoe]

1. adj. made of rubber and therefore water-repellent; "rubber boots" [syn: rubberized, rubberised]

2. returned for lack of funds; "a rubber check"; "a no-good check" [syn: no-good]

v. coat or impregnate with rubber; "rubberize fabric for rain coats" [syn: rubberize, rubberise]

Natural rubber is a latex material, originally from the Para rubber tree.

Rubber may also refer to:

Rubber is an album by the Canadian hard rock band formerly known as Harem Scarem. The band released the album in 1999 under the name Harem Scarem in Japan, and in 2000 in Canada they released it as Rubber. After this release, drummer Darren Smith left and was replaced with Creighton Doane. The song "Sunshine" was produced and mixed by renowned Canadian producer Arnold Lanni.

' Rubber ' is a 1936 Dutch film directed by Johan De Meester and Gerard Rutten. It tells the story of Dutch newlyweds trying to adjust to a difficult life on a Sumatran plantation. The majority of the film is believed to be lost; a 63-minute fragment remains in the archives of the Dutch Film Museum.

Rubber is a 2010 English-language French independent dark comedy film about a tire that comes to life and kills people with its psychic powers. It was directed and written by Quentin Dupieux. The film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Rubber is the third solo album by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, released in 1998.

Rubber (1990) was the first published novel of Indian author Jeyamohan. It was the first major work in Tamil that explored ecological and environmental theme as a context for ethical degradation in Tamil fiction. Set as a multi-generational family drama taking place against the backdrop of rubber plantations, the novel describes the hunger for social and commercial growth that inevitably exploits the environment. Rubber, introduced into India as a cash crop, is the alien species that chokes the land and destroys the values symbolized by the traditional Banana tree. The novel was widely acclaimed and won the Akhilan Memorial prize in 1990 heralding the arrival of Jeyamohan in the Indian literary scene.