robustadj.n.

Brit.

/rə(ʊ)ˈbʌst/,

/ˈrəʊbʌst/, U.S.

/roʊˈbəst/,

/ˈroʊˌbəst/

Forms: late Middle English–1600s robuste, 1500s– robust.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French robuste; Latin rōbustus.

Etymology: < Middle French, French robuste (of a person) strong, healthy (early 14th cent.), (of thought, emotion, etc.) firm, unshakeable (1481), (of a plant) hardy, vigorous (1604) and its etymon classical Latin rōbustus made or consisting of oak, physically strong, powerful, firm, solid, capable of resisting change, durable < rōbur strength (see robur n.) + -tus , suffix forming adjectives. Compare Catalan robust (c1400), Spanish robusto (1438), Portuguese robusto (14th cent.), Italian robusto (1319). Compare robustly adv.With the French forms compare Old French rubostl (c1100, probably a transmission error for ruboste ), with transposition of the vowels, and also Old French, Middle French rubeste cruel (late 12th cent.), Italian rubesto (1313), apparently < an unrecorded post-classical Latin variant *rebustus , showing remodelling of the first syllable by confusion with re- re- prefix and subsequent transposition of the vowels.

A. adj.

a. Strong and hardy; strongly and solidly built, sturdy; healthy.

(a) Of a person or animal.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > resistant to disease, etc.

strongeOE

stalworthc1175

starka1250

stiff1297

stalworthyc1300

vigorousc1330

stoura1350

lustyc1374

marrowya1382

sturdyc1386

crank1398

robust1490

vigorious1502

stalwart1508

hardy1548

robustious1548

of force1577

rustical1583

marrowed1612

rustic1620

robustic1652

solid1741

refractory1843

salted1864

resistant1876

saulteda1879

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > robust or healthy

heart-wholea1470

robust1490

roaring1848

well-to-do1852

red-blooded1876

the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > [adjective] > robust

strongeOE

hardOE

stalworthc1175

starka1250

stiff1297

steel to the (very) backa1300

stalworthyc1300

wightc1300

stable13..

valiant1303

stithc1325

toughc1330

wrast1338

stoura1350

sadc1384

wighty14..

derfc1440

substantialc1460

well-jointed1483

felon1487

robust1490

stalwart1508

stoutya1529

robustous?1531

rankc1540

hardy1548

robustious1548

stout1576

rustical1583

rustic1620

iron1638

robustic1652

swankinga1704

strapping1707

rugged1731

solid1741

vaudy1793

flaithulach1829

ironbark1833

swankie1838

tough as (old) boots or leather1843

skookum1847

hard (also tough, sharp) as nails1862

hard-assed1954

nails1974

1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos xiv. sig. Diiii ^v The noble men wexe robuste and rude wythoute excersice of fayttes of werre.

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) xvii. 115 The pepil chesit ane certan of gouuernours of the maist robust & maist prudent to be there deffendours.

1563 T. Gale Certaine Wks. Chirurg. ii. iv. f. 43^v Stronge & robuste persons.

1572 tr. S. Münster Briefe Coll. & Compend. Extract Cosmogr. f. 77 He hath fyue great robust armies.

a1600 (?c1535) tr. H. Boece Hist. Scotl. (Mar Lodge) (1946) f. 34^v Exhorting his men to schaw thame manly and robust for thare awne life and glore.

1660 R. Coke Justice Vindicated 9 The most furious and robust man is not the best horse-breaker and pacer.

1697 T. Brown Physick lies a Bleeding ii. ii. 28 A Patient, who accidentally had a Robust heavy Fellow tread on a Corn that grew on his left Toe.

1736 T. Carte Hist. Life Duke Ormonde I. 576 To fall in with them sword and pike in hand, which would give the victory to the robuster men.

1769 W. Buchan Domest. Med. i. 42 Though up-grown people, who are hardy and robust, may live..in such situations, yet they generally prove fatal to their offspring.

1793 T. M. Randolph Let. 19 June in T. Jefferson Papers (1995) XXVI. 325 The horse I purchased for you will be sufficiently robust.

1832 W. Macgillivray Trav. & Researches A. von Humboldt xviii. 258 On this journey she must have undergone hardships from which the most robust man would have shrunk.

1895 A. I. Shand Life E. B. Hamley I. 28 Although his constitution afterwards hardened.., at that time he was far from robust.

1951 W. Lewis Rotting Hill Envoi 307 Once so robust, she was terribly shrunken: some wasting disease, doubtless malignant.

1985 M. W. Bonanno Dwellers in Crucible xiv. 281 He couldn't help comparing the robust, vital young cadet with the pallid wraith in the diagnostic bed.

2009 S. J. Zipperstein Rosenfeld's Lives 217 Despite his ill health, he seemed so robust, so large, so healthy.

(b) Of the body or its parts, constitution, disposition, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > resistant to disease, etc. > of the body or its parts

robust1490

robustious1584

vigorous1618

mettlesome1668

sturdy1861

1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos iv. sig. Biiij ^v To proue and excersice thy robuste puyssaunce ayenste a body pryued frome his lyf.

1596 tr. Deligtful Hist. Celestina xxix. 218 The Emperour and the other nobles receiued her very gratiously, but she would neuer bow before him..whereat..the people..were much astonished,..calling her a woman of a manly and robust courage.

1600 L. Lewkenor tr. A. de Torquemada Spanish Mandeuile v. f. 131 Their ayres are delicate & pure, & preserue them from diseases, making theyr complexions more robust and strong.

1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 327 Tender and Delicate Persons..haue so many Things to trouble them; Which more Robust Natures haue little Sense of.

1699 G. Harvey Vanities Philos. & Physick xi. 130 The Patient..was of a healthful robust Constitution, and fleshy habit of body, much on Horseback, and scarce at any time long sedentary.

1719 E. Young Paraphr. Job 260 Survey the warlike horse! didst thou invest With thunder his robust distended chest?

1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 360 Thy frame, robust and hardy, feels indeed The piercing cold, but feels it unimpair'd.

1834 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last Days of Pompeii I. ii. i. 179 His form was still so robust and athletic.

1860 W. Collins Woman in White 134 How I envy you your robust nervous system.

1904 Entomologist's Rec & Jrnl. Variation 16 185 This fine species is easy to recognise by its large size and robust build.

1972 P. O'Brian Post Captain iv. 84 I have a particularly interesting subject who was in the most robust health at sea..in spite of every kind of excess.

2008 M. Dennison Last Princess ii. 11 She was an attractive baby with a healthy appetite and robust constitution.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by good growth > [adjective] > strong, vigorous, or plump

strongOE

thriftyc1440

well-brawneda1450

valiant1542

pubble1566

stout1573

corroborate1581

bunting1584

lusty1600

plump1600

vegetous1610

blought1611

boisterous1622

stocky1622

robust1627

steera1642

vegete1655

jollya1661

vigorous1706

well-to-do1852

1627 P. Hay Advt. Subj. Scotl. 133 The..robust Oake of the Forrest, springeth from a verie small Graine.

1657 Sir T. Browne Nature's Cabinet Unlock'd iv. 88 Masculine Plants are always strong, and robust, the feminine weak and fecundine.

a1697 A. Hornbeck Sel. Serm. (1698) II. xxxix. 539 The tender Plant must become Robust, till it can bear the Injuries of Wind and Weather.

1757 E. Burke Philos. Enq. Sublime & Beautiful iii. §16. 101 It is not the oak..or any of the robust trees of the forest.

1769 E. Bancroft Ess. Nat. Hist. Guiana 12 Canes,..even after this precaution, are usually too robust and luxuriant to make sugar with.

1830 J. Baxter Libr. Agric. & Hort. Knowl. 102 It grows very robust, with large leaves, flat and narrow, with thick veins.

1881 Encycl. Brit. XII. 249/2 The Brompton Stock..is a robust plant, growing 3 feet high.

1921 J. C. Cunningham Products of Empire vii. 68 The Lemon..is a smaller and less robust tree than the orange.

1961 E. Salisbury Weeds & Aliens vi. 189 The Prickly Sowthistle is usually the more robust plant.

2005 G. Nelson E. Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers 32/2 This robust perennial herb is predominately a coastal species.

b. Zoology and Physical Anthropology. Of a part of the body: strong, thick, or sturdy. Of an animal or (later) a fossil hominid (cf. sense B. 2): strongly built, thickset; opposed to gracile.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > animal body > [adjective] > stout or strong

tidya1325

robust1666

stout1832

massive1888

the world > life > the body > bodily shape or physique > broad shape or physique > [adjective]

stalworthc1175

thicka1250

stubblea1300

quarryc1300

stalworthyc1300

stoura1350

sturdyc1386

buirdlya1400

squarec1430

couragec1440

craskc1440

substantialc1460

ample1485

stalwart1508

puddinga1540

full-bodied1588

robust1666

two-handed1687

swankinga1704

strapping1707

broad-set1708

thick-set1724

throddy?1748

thick-bodied1752

broad-built1771

junky1825

swankie1838

stodgy1854

wide-bodied1854

beefish1882

hunky1911

buff1982

buffed1986

1666 G. Harvey Morbus Anglicus iv. 39 The heart..consisting of robust fibres variously intertext.

1685 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis (new ed.) i. §ii. i. 12 Much deeper than in a Cats [Skull]; and so better fitted to receive those Muscules which are here also much more robust.

1717 Philos. Trans. 1714–16 (Royal Soc.) 29 509 His Tail consists of ten very stiff large and strong Quills, firmly set into a robust strong Uropygium or Rump.

1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. I. 281 Alectorides. Bill shorter than the head, or of the same length; strong, robust.

1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 158/2 The zygomatic arches are more open and robust in the former.

1891 W. H. Flower & R. Lydekker Introd. Study Mammals xi. 515 The attempts to separate a larger and more robust variety, under the name of Panther, from a smaller and more graceful form, to which the name Leopard might properly be restricted, have failed.

1926 Q. Rev. Biol. 1 165/1 Another group, mostly Old World species, typified by the well known Hipparion gracile.., is comparatively large and robust.

1977 Times Educ. Suppl. 21 Oct. 11/2 More recently robust hominids have also been identified at the South African sites.

1995 J. H. Schwartz Skeleton Keys v. 140/2 The calcaneus, whose posteriormost portion constitutes the heel of the foot, is the largest and most robust tarsal bone.

2000 R. Cowen Hist. Life (ed. 3) xxii. 356 The robust australopithecines may not be an evolutionary group.

2. Coarse, rough, rude. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > bad taste > lack of refinement > [adjective] > coarse

agrest?1440

robust1511

roynish1570

sowish1570

lubberlike1572

lubberly1580

ordinarya1586

roborean1656

porcine1660

coarse1680

crude1722

low1725

piggish1742

coarse-graineda1774

crass1861

coarse-fibred1872

barnyard1895

farmyard1911

rough as guts1919

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [adjective] > ill-mannered > unrefined

boistousc1300

untheweda1325

uplandisha1387

unaffiled1390

rudea1393

knavishc1405

peoplisha1425

clubbedc1440

blunt1477

lob?1507

robust1511

borel1513

carterly1519

clubbish1530

rough?1531

rustical?1532

incondite1539

agrestc1550

rusticc1550

brute1555

lobcocka1556

loutisha1556

carterlike1561

boorish1562

ruggedc1565

lobbish1567

loutlike1567

sowish1570

clownish1581

unrefined1582

impolished1583

homespun1590

transalpinea1592

swaddish1593

unpolished1594

untutored1595

swabberly1596

tartarous1602

porterly1603

lobcocked1606

lob-like1606

cluster-fisted1611

agrestic1617

inurbane1623

unelevated1627

incult1628

unbrushed1640

vulgar1643

unhewed1644

unsmooth1648

hirsute1658

loutardly1658

unhewn1659

roughsome?c1660

sordid1668

inhumanea1680

coarse1699

brutal1709

ramgunshoch1721

tramontane1740

uncouth1740

no-nationa1756

unurbane1760

turnipy1792

rudas1802

common1804

cubbish1819

clodhopping1828

vulgarian1833

cloddish1844

unkempt1846

bush1851

vulgarish1860

rodney1866

crude1876

ignorant1886

yobby1910

nekulturny1932

oikish1959

yobbish1966

ocker1972

down and dirty1977

1511 H. Watson tr. St. Bernardino Chirche of Euyll Men & Women sig. B.i^v My robuste language deuoyde of vndepured eloquence.

1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) iv. 11 To hant that game robust, And beistly appetyte.

1610 tr. Gaultier's Rodomontados xxxvi. sig. D3^v The horrible Agricano, or the robust Rodomont.

1665 R. Hooke Micrographia Pref. sig. C2^v Feeling..being a sense that judges of the more gross and robust motions of the Particles of Bodies.

1667 R. Allestree Causes Decay Christian Piety Pref. sig. A^v To consider our ways, to reflect not only on those robust gyant-like provocations which have thus bid defiance to Heaven.

1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 151 Romp-loving miss Is haul'd about, in gallantry robust.

1754 S. Foote Knights ii. 41 You are grown too head-strong and robust for me.

1817 C. Hutton Welsh Mountaineer I. vii. 98 Such is my abhorrence of robust manners, vulgar ideas, and hideous names.

1872 W. D. Howells Their Wedding Journey i. 9 He..presently began a robust flirtation with one of them. He possessed himself, after a brief struggle, of her parasol.

1927 C. Bayly tr. G. de Pourtalhs Polonaise xiv. 238 It must be supposed that these robust manners were not altogether displeasing.

3. Relating to, requiring, or promoting physical strength or hardiness; energetic, vigorous.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > of action: involving or requiring vigour

mainc1400

vigorous1524

tooth and naila1535

robust1652

robustic1652

strenuous1671

lusty1672

vigorous1697

1652 J. French York-shire Spaw iv. 45 One of those robust exercises..which makes the flesh hard, and compact, conducing to long life.

1683 T. Tryon Way to Health 271 Men ought not to put Women to such robust Imployments and hard Labours as many do, except pure Necessity compels them to it.

a1697 J. Aubrey Brief Lives (1898) I. 107 He was an early riser and studyed well, but also took his robust pleasures of fishing, fowling, &c.

1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry ii. 342 They [sc. chestnuts] afford a good robust Diet, and are very nourishing.

1759 C. Lennox tr. P. Brumoy Greek Theatre II. 461 The Lacedemonian virgins..were taught the most robust bodily excercises.

1850 D. Scrymgeour Poetry & Poets of Brit. vi. 383 His [sc. Walter Scott's] lameness did not much impede his habits of robust activity.

1871 J. R. Lowell My Study Windows 35 Cowper..preferred his..garden-walk to those robuster joys.

1910 S. D. Woods Lights & Shadows of Life on Pacific Coast iii. 34 Robust outdoor sports furnished amusement for those of maturer years.

1953 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 28 June 8/2 They may golf, fish, swim or engage in other robust activity.

2003 L. Jackson Jon Bon Jovi (2005) xi. 201 Jon was midway through a robust exercise workout in his home gym.

a. Of a sound or voice: strong, powerful; loud. Also of a person: having such a voice.

ΚΠ

1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. II. viii. 32 The word in its robust and forcible sound agreeth to the thing which it signifieth.

1715 in T. Creech tr. Lucretius Of Nature of Things (new ed.) II. iv. 413 It will have something manly in it,..as strong Limbs, a swarthy Complexion, a robust Voice.

1796 Crit. Rev. May 28 A clear, firm, and robust voice..affects our organs of hearing with equal force and delight.

1836 J. Murray Hand-bk. for Travellers on Continent i. 22 The powerful and unisonal psalmody..filling the lofty churches with a volume of rich and robust sound.

1897 Daily News 5 Feb. 8/7 Signor Ceppi, a robust tenor.

1950 Musical Times 91 280/2 The range of Siegmund's music is not beyond a robust baritone.

1991 CD Rev. Oct. 82/1 He has a robust if throaty tenor.

2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 30 Mar. c3/2 He can wield his accordion like a traditionalist, playing robust, oom-pah-pahing chords and skittering melodic variations.

†b. Linguistics. In Arabic or related languages: (of a letter) pronounced, as opposed to silent. Contrasted with weak. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > written character > [adjective] > not 'weak' letters, specifically in Arabic grammar

robust1776

1776 J. Richardson Gram. Arabick Lang. 8 The three letters ﻱ ﻭ ﺍ are called weak... All the others are stiled robust.

1843 Proc. Philol. Soc. (1844) 1 138 It [sc. Berber] has a distinction of letters..into robust and weak. The weak letters of course are W, Y, and A.

c. Of a colour: rich, deep, intense.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > colour > quality of colour > [adjective] > intense

strongOE

richc1330

finea1387

stark1547

deep1555

full1599

saturate1669

generous1710

lush1744

saturated1791

lushy1821

robust1826

raised1846

high-keyed1879

acid1916

1826 W. Hazlitt Notes Journey through France & Italy xxiii. 357 But for the sun-burnt, well-baked, robust tone of the flesh-colour, commend me to the leg and girded thigh of the robber.

1847 Newcastle Courant 21 May ii. 2/4 The wheat plant looks exceedingly well, being already fully a foot in height, of a robust healthy green colour, and thickly stooled.

1892 A. W. Hunt Mrs. Juliet I. x. 225 The colour is rich, sensuous, robust.

1921 N.Y. Times 13 Feb. 8/3 Edward H. Potthast's ‘A Day at the Seashore’ makes a note of robust color in the rather gray tonality of the room.

1970 N. Pevsner Cambridgeshire (Buildings of Eng.) (ed. 2) 363 All still in the pre-archaeological painterly vein, and quite robust in colour.

2002 K. Louise True Devotion ix. 103 Robust orange, crazy red, and potent purple, boldly slammed together in the print.

d. Of food or drink: having a strong taste or smell; (esp. of wine) full-bodied, rich. Also: designating such a taste or smell.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [adjective] > strong-tasting

strongeOE

stithc1000

violenta1398

tartc1405

froughc1420

high?c1430

lecherous1474

strong1588

brusque1601

valiant1607

pertish1635

haut-goût1645

full-flavoured1736

lively1770

gamey1820

ory1854

zestful?1855

robust1873

tangy1875

stewy1895

1873 Times 17 Apr. 3/6 The Tintara is a robust, sustaining wine.

1904 F. Dodsworth Bk. W. Indies 11 The crisp bleakness of our English climate imparts a robust flavour to its slowly-ripening fruit.

1924 P. G. Wodehouse Bill the Conqueror 213 A gentle breeze..brought pleasant Spring scents from the park across the road to blend with the robuster aroma of coffee and fried bacon.

1945 Los Angeles Times 28 Oct. (This Week Mag.) 7/2 (advt.) It's a grand, robust cheese treat.

1986 A. Taylor Old School Tie vi. 59 Calèche... Elizabeth Taylor's favourite perfume... I prefer it to the more robust Je Reviens.

2004 H. Fearnley-Whittingstall River Cottage Meat Bk. xi. 304 A cassoulet needs no accompaniment, save a robust and artisanal red wine.

a. Of a material object: sturdily constructed, solid; not easily damaged or broken, resilient.

ΚΠ

1670 S. Gott Divine Hist. Genesis World vii. 164 Iron is so Robust Contumacious and Consistent in itself, that it doth not yield much to Flame.

1714 J. Macky Journey through Eng. I. xiii. 201 I must..find Fault with one Part of his Architecture, which is, the Adorning this Robust Building with the Corinthian and Composite Orders.

1827 J. Elmes Metrop. Improvem. 157 The robust columns beneath them seem built exactly for pedestals to the sturdy Ethiopians above them.

1882 Macmillan's Mag. Apr. 430/2 The room in which they found themselves, though clean, and neatly furnished with robust oaken furniture, bore symptoms of unwonted disorder.

1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials i. 36 (heading) The whole is encased in a robust steel shell.

1961 P. J. Bhatt Fund. Servo Control Engin. 58 Magnetic amplifiers and transducers are static robust units which can be conveniently mounted (e.g., astride the driving motor).

1988 Jrnl. Navigation 41 330 The compass..was a simple, robust instrument with a large steering prism.

2007 Trail Feb. 76/3 This robust accessory keeps my four mugs-worth of water piping for nine hours.

b. Of an immaterial thing, esp. a thought or emotion: powerful; not showing undue sensitivity, firm, unyielding; resilient. Also occasionally of a person.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > of mind or temperament

heartlyc1425

vigorous1640

robust1766

1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. i. 11 To prevent the robust title of occupancy from again taking place, the doctrine of escheats is adopted.

1807 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 13 June 1069 Such words as..were best calculated to impress his robust thoughts.

1852 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 2 The beneficial influence he has exerted as a most robust thinker and a most admirable writer.

1888 Glasgow Evening Times 24 Aug. 2/5 English is a robust language.

1905 D. Blackburn Richard Hartley, Prospector iii. 39 Spurning the idea of work with the robust contempt of the hardened tramp.

1961 Times 13 Sept. 10/2 His robust defence on theological grounds of the nuclear deterrent.

2003 R. Dawkins Devil's Chaplain 5 Scientists tend to take a robust view of truth and are impatient of philosophical equivocation.

c. Economics. Of a market, economy, etc.: strong, thriving; resilient.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > management of national resources > [adjective] > relating to states or trends of the economy

anti-inflation1870

anti-inflationist1874

robust1886

static1890

recessionary1897

deflationary1920

inflationary1920

maximized1920

mature1928

recessional1929

anti-inflationary1932

reflationary1932

reflationist1932

Kondratieff1935

anti-cyclical1938

flatline1946

maximizing1949

stagnationist1951

countercyclical1952

recessed1956

recessive1971

stagflationary1971

flatlined1986

1886 Liverpool Mercury 6 Sept. 8/5 Rice.—A robust market, notwithstanding heavy arrivals off coast.

1907 Times 15 May 13/2 Unrest in India, labour agitation at home,..these and other minor considerations would have been enough to sap the strength of the most robust markets.

1966 Changing Times Jan. 4/1 The residue of unemployment is still a blemish on an otherwise robust economy.

1991 Economist 24 Aug. 62/1 Property prices are just beginning to harden again and consumer spending is still remarkably robust.

2007 A. Greenspan Age of Turbulence 178 Apart from the run-up in the stock market, the economy was as robust as it had been six months before.

a. Statistics. Of a test: yielding approximately correct results despite the falsity of certain of the assumptions underlying it; (of a calculation, process, or result) largely independent of certain aspects of the input.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [adjective] > yielding correct or concordant results

reliable1875

robust1955

1955 G. E. P. Box & S. L. Andersen in Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. B. 17 1 To fulfil the needs of the experimenter, statistical criteria should (1) be sensitive to change in the specific factors tested, (2) be insensitive to changes, of a magnitude likely to occur in practice, in extraneous factors. A test which satisfies the first requirement is said to be powerful and we shall typify a test which satisfies the second by calling it ‘robust’.

1979 Sci. Amer. Apr. 69/2 This conclusion, they point out, ‘is robust, in that we have derived it from the global geochemical distribution of uranium, and we have also derived it from the U.S. uranium-mining history and from a wide variety of subsets of the U.S. uranium-mining history’.

1996 Fibromyalgia Times Fall 5/1 A number of statistically robust and sophisticated sib pair analyses are available for researchers to utilize.

2004 T. W. O'Gorman Appl. Adaptive Statist. Methods vii. 109 Robust estimators are usually designed to reduce the influence of observations that are judged to be extreme.

b. Computing. Of a program: able to recover from errors; unlikely to fail, reliable. Also: (of a program's feature set) powerful, full.

ΚΠ

1979 J. J. Horning in B. Randell Computing Syst. Reliability iv. 124 Why worry about exception processing? Anyone who has ever built a large software system or tried to write a ‘robust’ program can appreciate the problem.

1992 Dr. Dobb's Jrnl. Sept. 1/1 (advt.) With all these tools, you'll write the most powerful, robust apps imaginable.

2001 W. J. Chun Core Python Programming iii. 71 One of Python's strengths is its ability to let the programmer handle errors..rather than simply exiting the program. This results in a more robust application.

2008 Lifehacker (Nexis) 21 Sept. A free, open-source password manager with a robust and easy-to-use feature set.

2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 15 Feb. (Business section) 4/4 Google learned that the early version of its calendar program was..not robust enough to meet a corporate user's need.

B. n.

1. With the and plural agreement: robust people collectively.

ΚΠ

1692 J. Pechey Coll. Chronical Dis. iii. 48 That firmness of Spirits..which is always found in the robust.

1700 J. Jones Myst. Opium Reveal'd xv. 202 It causes ill Symptoms oftner..in fine textur'd Men, than the robust.

1762 J. Fothergill Rules for Preserv. of Health ii. 41 Pork is only proper for the robust and strong.

1800 W. Wordsworth in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads II. 157 The robust and young, The prosperous and unthinking,..all behold in him A silent monitor.

1836 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece III. xx. 137 All other maladies terminated in this, which appeared to prey equally upon the robust and the infirm.

1917 J. R. Nickum Get Well, stop Doddering 15 The robust are interested in the activities of the robust, not in the feebleness of the feeble.

1947 Times 14 May 7/1 (advt.) A novel in which the robust will delight.

2003 A. L. Fairchild Silence at Borders iii. 94 The young..the muscular, the robust were not turned aside.

2. Physical Anthropology. A robust fossil hominid; spec. any of three australopithecines ( Australopithecus robustus, A. aethiopicus, and A. boisei) characterized by heavily built jaws, teeth, and associated musculature, and now often placed together in the genus Paranthropus.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > protohuman > [adjective]

Cro-Magnon1869

palaeanthropic1890

pithecanthropoid1890

pithecanthropic1897

theriozoic1898

Combe-Capelle1911

Piltdown1912

Predmost1912

Boskop1915

hominid1915

Neanderthalian1920

Tardenoisian1921

pithecanthropine1925

Sinanthropic1931

Solo1932

Florisbad1935

Steinheim1935

Sinanthropoid1937

Swanscombe1937

robust1971

1971 Man 6 604 Graciles and robusts overlapped considerably... Male gracile and female robust australopithecines were approximately equal in robustness and stature.

1987 Nature 25 June 654/3 There was little acceptance of Clarke's claim that his Stw 252..represents a new species tending towards the robusts.

2005 S. Johansson Origins Lang. iv. 59 There is..some recent support for associating some or all of the robusts with the main human lineage.

Compounds

Complementary and parasynthetic.

robust-looking adj.

ΚΠ

1769 R. Griffith Gordian Knot lxii, in R. Griffith & E. Griffith Two Novels IV. 21 I perceived an old robust looking man, stretched upon the ground.

1824 S. E. Ferrier Inheritance I. ix. 90 The portrait represents a considerably larger and more robust-looking person than Miss St. Clair.

1947 N. Collins Dulcimer Street i. 14 They were good robust-looking cigars with scarlet-and-gilt bands round them.

2005 W. S. Merwin Summer Doorways vii. 37 I stood waiting in a movie in town, with a tall, robust-looking friend.

robust-lunged adj. and n.

ΚΠ

1872 Labourer's Friend Apr. 37 Divers robust-lunged men..howled out vociferously an invitation to all and sundry.

1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 Apr. 3/1 The most robust-lunged must find the stifling atmosphere a severe drain on their vital force.

1899 L. O. Chant Sellcuts' Manager viii. 107 The vociferous screaming of her robust-lunged baby was..a sound of heavenly sweetness in her ear.

2008 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Tribune Rev. (Nexis) 21 Dec. Their own robust-lunged offspring.

robust-minded adj. and n.

ΚΠ

1844 R. Cattermole Lit. Church of Eng. I. 344 The patron of those robust-minded scholars was Laud, the most rigid of high churchmen.

1948 S. Sassoon Meredith iii. 40 He was essentially robust-minded and humorous, and..he had been toughened by experience.

1995 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 12 Feb. The robust-minded would want to gag at all this.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	robust
释义	robustadj.n. Brit. /rə(ʊ)ˈbʌst/, /ˈrəʊbʌst/, U.S. /roʊˈbəst/, /ˈroʊˌbəst/ Forms: late Middle English–1600s robuste, 1500s– robust. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French robuste; Latin rōbustus. Etymology: < Middle French, French robuste (of a person) strong, healthy (early 14th cent.), (of thought, emotion, etc.) firm, unshakeable (1481), (of a plant) hardy, vigorous (1604) and its etymon classical Latin rōbustus made or consisting of oak, physically strong, powerful, firm, solid, capable of resisting change, durable < rōbur strength (see robur n.) + -tus , suffix forming adjectives. Compare Catalan robust (c1400), Spanish robusto (1438), Portuguese robusto (14th cent.), Italian robusto (1319). Compare robustly adv.With the French forms compare Old French rubostl (c1100, probably a transmission error for ruboste ), with transposition of the vowels, and also Old French, Middle French rubeste cruel (late 12th cent.), Italian rubesto (1313), apparently < an unrecorded post-classical Latin variant rebustus , showing remodelling of the first syllable by confusion with re-* re- prefix and subsequent transposition of the vowels. A. adj. 1. a. Strong and hardy; strongly and solidly built, sturdy; healthy. (a) Of a person or animal. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > resistant to disease, etc. strongeOE stalworthc1175 starka1250 stiff1297 stalworthyc1300 vigorousc1330 stoura1350 lustyc1374 marrowya1382 sturdyc1386 crank1398 robust1490 vigorious1502 stalwart1508 hardy1548 robustious1548 of force1577 rustical1583 marrowed1612 rustic1620 robustic1652 solid1741 refractory1843 salted1864 resistant1876 saulteda1879 the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > robust or healthy heart-wholea1470 robust1490 roaring1848 well-to-do1852 red-blooded1876 the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > [adjective] > robust strongeOE hardOE stalworthc1175 starka1250 stiff1297 steel to the (very) backa1300 stalworthyc1300 wightc1300 stable13.. valiant1303 stithc1325 toughc1330 wrast1338 stoura1350 sadc1384 wighty14.. derfc1440 substantialc1460 well-jointed1483 felon1487 robust1490 stalwart1508 stoutya1529 robustous?1531 rankc1540 hardy1548 robustious1548 stout1576 rustical1583 rustic1620 iron1638 robustic1652 swankinga1704 strapping1707 rugged1731 solid1741 vaudy1793 flaithulach1829 ironbark1833 swankie1838 tough as (old) boots or leather1843 skookum1847 hard (also tough, sharp) as nails1862 hard-assed1954 nails1974 1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos xiv. sig. Diiii ^v The noble men wexe robuste and rude wythoute excersice of fayttes of werre. c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) xvii. 115 The pepil chesit ane certan of gouuernours of the maist robust & maist prudent to be there deffendours. 1563 T. Gale Certaine Wks. Chirurg. ii. iv. f. 43^v Stronge & robuste persons. 1572 tr. S. Münster Briefe Coll. & Compend. Extract Cosmogr. f. 77 He hath fyue great robust armies. a1600 (?c1535) tr. H. Boece Hist. Scotl. (Mar Lodge) (1946) f. 34^v Exhorting his men to schaw thame manly and robust for thare awne life and glore. 1660 R. Coke Justice Vindicated 9 The most furious and robust man is not the best horse-breaker and pacer. 1697 T. Brown Physick lies a Bleeding ii. ii. 28 A Patient, who accidentally had a Robust heavy Fellow tread on a Corn that grew on his left Toe. 1736 T. Carte Hist. Life Duke Ormonde I. 576 To fall in with them sword and pike in hand, which would give the victory to the robuster men. 1769 W. Buchan Domest. Med. i. 42 Though up-grown people, who are hardy and robust, may live..in such situations, yet they generally prove fatal to their offspring. 1793 T. M. Randolph Let. 19 June in T. Jefferson Papers (1995) XXVI. 325 The horse I purchased for you will be sufficiently robust. 1832 W. Macgillivray Trav. & Researches A. von Humboldt xviii. 258 On this journey she must have undergone hardships from which the most robust man would have shrunk. 1895 A. I. Shand Life E. B. Hamley I. 28 Although his constitution afterwards hardened.., at that time he was far from robust. 1951 W. Lewis Rotting Hill Envoi 307 Once so robust, she was terribly shrunken: some wasting disease, doubtless malignant. 1985 M. W. Bonanno Dwellers in Crucible xiv. 281 He couldn't help comparing the robust, vital young cadet with the pallid wraith in the diagnostic bed. 2009 S. J. Zipperstein Rosenfeld's Lives 217 Despite his ill health, he seemed so robust, so large, so healthy. (b) Of the body or its parts, constitution, disposition, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > resistant to disease, etc. > of the body or its parts robust1490 robustious1584 vigorous1618 mettlesome1668 sturdy1861 1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos iv. sig. Biiij ^v To proue and excersice thy robuste puyssaunce ayenste a body pryued frome his lyf. 1596 tr. Deligtful Hist. Celestina xxix. 218 The Emperour and the other nobles receiued her very gratiously, but she would neuer bow before him..whereat..the people..were much astonished,..calling her a woman of a manly and robust courage. 1600 L. Lewkenor tr. A. de Torquemada Spanish Mandeuile v. f. 131 Their ayres are delicate & pure, & preserue them from diseases, making theyr complexions more robust and strong. 1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 327 Tender and Delicate Persons..haue so many Things to trouble them; Which more Robust Natures haue little Sense of. 1699 G. Harvey Vanities Philos. & Physick xi. 130 The Patient..was of a healthful robust Constitution, and fleshy habit of body, much on Horseback, and scarce at any time long sedentary. 1719 E. Young Paraphr. Job 260 Survey the warlike horse! didst thou invest With thunder his robust distended chest? 1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 360 Thy frame, robust and hardy, feels indeed The piercing cold, but feels it unimpair'd. 1834 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last Days of Pompeii I. ii. i. 179 His form was still so robust and athletic. 1860 W. Collins Woman in White 134 How I envy you your robust nervous system. 1904 Entomologist's Rec & Jrnl. Variation 16 185 This fine species is easy to recognise by its large size and robust build. 1972 P. O'Brian Post Captain iv. 84 I have a particularly interesting subject who was in the most robust health at sea..in spite of every kind of excess. 2008 M. Dennison Last Princess ii. 11 She was an attractive baby with a healthy appetite and robust constitution. (c) Of a tree or other plant. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by good growth > [adjective] > strong, vigorous, or plump strongOE thriftyc1440 well-brawneda1450 valiant1542 pubble1566 stout1573 corroborate1581 bunting1584 lusty1600 plump1600 vegetous1610 blought1611 boisterous1622 stocky1622 robust1627 steera1642 vegete1655 jollya1661 vigorous1706 well-to-do1852 1627 P. Hay Advt. Subj. Scotl. 133 The..robust Oake of the Forrest, springeth from a verie small Graine. 1657 Sir T. Browne Nature's Cabinet Unlock'd iv. 88 Masculine Plants are always strong, and robust, the feminine weak and fecundine. a1697 A. Hornbeck Sel. Serm. (1698) II. xxxix. 539 The tender Plant must become Robust, till it can bear the Injuries of Wind and Weather. 1757 E. Burke Philos. Enq. Sublime & Beautiful iii. §16. 101 It is not the oak..or any of the robust trees of the forest. 1769 E. Bancroft Ess. Nat. Hist. Guiana 12 Canes,..even after this precaution, are usually too robust and luxuriant to make sugar with. 1830 J. Baxter Libr. Agric. & Hort. Knowl. 102 It grows very robust, with large leaves, flat and narrow, with thick veins. 1881 Encycl. Brit. XII. 249/2 The Brompton Stock..is a robust plant, growing 3 feet high. 1921 J. C. Cunningham Products of Empire vii. 68 The Lemon..is a smaller and less robust tree than the orange. 1961 E. Salisbury Weeds & Aliens vi. 189 The Prickly Sowthistle is usually the more robust plant. 2005 G. Nelson E. Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers 32/2 This robust perennial herb is predominately a coastal species. b. Zoology and Physical Anthropology. Of a part of the body: strong, thick, or sturdy. Of an animal or (later) a fossil hominid (cf. sense B. 2): strongly built, thickset; opposed to gracile. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > animal body > [adjective] > stout or strong tidya1325 robust1666 stout1832 massive1888 the world > life > the body > bodily shape or physique > broad shape or physique > [adjective] stalworthc1175 thicka1250 stubblea1300 quarryc1300 stalworthyc1300 stoura1350 sturdyc1386 buirdlya1400 squarec1430 couragec1440 craskc1440 substantialc1460 ample1485 stalwart1508 puddinga1540 full-bodied1588 robust1666 two-handed1687 swankinga1704 strapping1707 broad-set1708 thick-set1724 throddy?1748 thick-bodied1752 broad-built1771 junky1825 swankie1838 stodgy1854 wide-bodied1854 beefish1882 hunky1911 buff1982 buffed1986 1666 G. Harvey Morbus Anglicus iv. 39 The heart..consisting of robust fibres variously intertext. 1685 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis (new ed.) i. §ii. i. 12 Much deeper than in a Cats [Skull]; and so better fitted to receive those Muscules which are here also much more robust. 1717 Philos. Trans. 1714–16 (Royal Soc.) 29 509 His Tail consists of ten very stiff large and strong Quills, firmly set into a robust strong Uropygium or Rump. 1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. I. 281 Alectorides. Bill shorter than the head, or of the same length; strong, robust. 1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 158/2 The zygomatic arches are more open and robust in the former. 1891 W. H. Flower & R. Lydekker Introd. Study Mammals xi. 515 The attempts to separate a larger and more robust variety, under the name of Panther, from a smaller and more graceful form, to which the name Leopard might properly be restricted, have failed. 1926 Q. Rev. Biol. 1 165/1 Another group, mostly Old World species, typified by the well known Hipparion gracile.., is comparatively large and robust. 1977 Times Educ. Suppl. 21 Oct. 11/2 More recently robust hominids have also been identified at the South African sites. 1995 J. H. Schwartz Skeleton Keys v. 140/2 The calcaneus, whose posteriormost portion constitutes the heel of the foot, is the largest and most robust tarsal bone. 2000 R. Cowen Hist. Life (ed. 3) xxii. 356 The robust australopithecines may not be an evolutionary group. 2. Coarse, rough, rude. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > bad taste > lack of refinement > [adjective] > coarse agrest?1440 robust1511 roynish1570 sowish1570 lubberlike1572 lubberly1580 ordinarya1586 roborean1656 porcine1660 coarse1680 crude1722 low1725 piggish1742 coarse-graineda1774 crass1861 coarse-fibred1872 barnyard1895 farmyard1911 rough as guts1919 the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [adjective] > ill-mannered > unrefined boistousc1300 untheweda1325 uplandisha1387 unaffiled1390 rudea1393 knavishc1405 peoplisha1425 clubbedc1440 blunt1477 lob?1507 robust1511 borel1513 carterly1519 clubbish1530 rough?1531 rustical?1532 incondite1539 agrestc1550 rusticc1550 brute1555 lobcocka1556 loutisha1556 carterlike1561 boorish1562 ruggedc1565 lobbish1567 loutlike1567 sowish1570 clownish1581 unrefined1582 impolished1583 homespun1590 transalpinea1592 swaddish1593 unpolished1594 untutored1595 swabberly1596 tartarous1602 porterly1603 lobcocked1606 lob-like1606 cluster-fisted1611 agrestic1617 inurbane1623 unelevated1627 incult1628 unbrushed1640 vulgar1643 unhewed1644 unsmooth1648 hirsute1658 loutardly1658 unhewn1659 roughsome?c1660 sordid1668 inhumanea1680 coarse1699 brutal1709 ramgunshoch1721 tramontane1740 uncouth1740 no-nationa1756 unurbane1760 turnipy1792 rudas1802 common1804 cubbish1819 clodhopping1828 vulgarian1833 cloddish1844 unkempt1846 bush1851 vulgarish1860 rodney1866 crude1876 ignorant1886 yobby1910 nekulturny1932 oikish1959 yobbish1966 ocker1972 down and dirty1977 1511 H. Watson tr. St. Bernardino Chirche of Euyll Men & Women sig. B.i^v My robuste language deuoyde of vndepured eloquence. 1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) iv. 11 To hant that game robust, And beistly appetyte. 1610 tr. Gaultier's Rodomontados xxxvi. sig. D3^v The horrible Agricano, or the robust Rodomont. 1665 R. Hooke Micrographia Pref. sig. C2^v Feeling..being a sense that judges of the more gross and robust motions of the Particles of Bodies. 1667 R. Allestree Causes Decay Christian Piety Pref. sig. A^v To consider our ways, to reflect not only on those robust gyant-like provocations which have thus bid defiance to Heaven. 1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 151 Romp-loving miss Is haul'd about, in gallantry robust. 1754 S. Foote Knights ii. 41 You are grown too head-strong and robust for me. 1817 C. Hutton Welsh Mountaineer I. vii. 98 Such is my abhorrence of robust manners, vulgar ideas, and hideous names. 1872 W. D. Howells Their Wedding Journey i. 9 He..presently began a robust flirtation with one of them. He possessed himself, after a brief struggle, of her parasol. 1927 C. Bayly tr. G. de Pourtalhs Polonaise xiv. 238 It must be supposed that these robust manners were not altogether displeasing. 3. Relating to, requiring, or promoting physical strength or hardiness; energetic, vigorous. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > of action: involving or requiring vigour mainc1400 vigorous1524 tooth and naila1535 robust1652 robustic1652 strenuous1671 lusty1672 vigorous1697 1652 J. French York-shire Spaw iv. 45 One of those robust exercises..which makes the flesh hard, and compact, conducing to long life. 1683 T. Tryon Way to Health 271 Men ought not to put Women to such robust Imployments and hard Labours as many do, except pure Necessity compels them to it. a1697 J. Aubrey Brief Lives (1898) I. 107 He was an early riser and studyed well, but also took his robust pleasures of fishing, fowling, &c. 1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry ii. 342 They [sc. chestnuts] afford a good robust Diet, and are very nourishing. 1759 C. Lennox tr. P. Brumoy Greek Theatre II. 461 The Lacedemonian virgins..were taught the most robust bodily excercises. 1850 D. Scrymgeour Poetry & Poets of Brit. vi. 383 His [sc. Walter Scott's] lameness did not much impede his habits of robust activity. 1871 J. R. Lowell My Study Windows 35 Cowper..preferred his..garden-walk to those robuster joys. 1910 S. D. Woods Lights & Shadows of Life on Pacific Coast iii. 34 Robust outdoor sports furnished amusement for those of maturer years. 1953 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 28 June 8/2 They may golf, fish, swim or engage in other robust activity. 2003 L. Jackson Jon Bon Jovi (2005) xi. 201 Jon was midway through a robust exercise workout in his home gym. 4. a. Of a sound or voice: strong, powerful; loud. Also of a person: having such a voice. ΚΠ 1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. II. viii. 32 The word in its robust and forcible sound agreeth to the thing which it signifieth. 1715 in T. Creech tr. Lucretius Of Nature of Things (new ed.) II. iv. 413 It will have something manly in it,..as strong Limbs, a swarthy Complexion, a robust Voice. 1796 Crit. Rev. May 28 A clear, firm, and robust voice..affects our organs of hearing with equal force and delight. 1836 J. Murray Hand-bk. for Travellers on Continent i. 22 The powerful and unisonal psalmody..filling the lofty churches with a volume of rich and robust sound. 1897 Daily News 5 Feb. 8/7 Signor Ceppi, a robust tenor. 1950 Musical Times 91 280/2 The range of Siegmund's music is not beyond a robust baritone. 1991 CD Rev. Oct. 82/1 He has a robust if throaty tenor. 2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 30 Mar. c3/2 He can wield his accordion like a traditionalist, playing robust, oom-pah-pahing chords and skittering melodic variations. †b. Linguistics. In Arabic or related languages: (of a letter) pronounced, as opposed to silent. Contrasted with weak. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written character > [adjective] > not 'weak' letters, specifically in Arabic grammar robust1776 1776 J. Richardson Gram. Arabick Lang. 8 The three letters ﻱ ﻭ ﺍ are called weak... All the others are stiled robust. 1843 Proc. Philol. Soc. (1844) 1 138 It [sc. Berber] has a distinction of letters..into robust and weak. The weak letters of course are W, Y, and A. c. Of a colour: rich, deep, intense. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > quality of colour > [adjective] > intense strongOE richc1330 finea1387 stark1547 deep1555 full1599 saturate1669 generous1710 lush1744 saturated1791 lushy1821 robust1826 raised1846 high-keyed1879 acid1916 1826 W. Hazlitt Notes Journey through France & Italy xxiii. 357 But for the sun-burnt, well-baked, robust tone of the flesh-colour, commend me to the leg and girded thigh of the robber. 1847 Newcastle Courant 21 May ii. 2/4 The wheat plant looks exceedingly well, being already fully a foot in height, of a robust healthy green colour, and thickly stooled. 1892 A. W. Hunt Mrs. Juliet I. x. 225 The colour is rich, sensuous, robust. 1921 N.Y. Times 13 Feb. 8/3 Edward H. Potthast's ‘A Day at the Seashore’ makes a note of robust color in the rather gray tonality of the room. 1970 N. Pevsner Cambridgeshire (Buildings of Eng.) (ed. 2) 363 All still in the pre-archaeological painterly vein, and quite robust in colour. 2002 K. Louise True Devotion ix. 103 Robust orange, crazy red, and potent purple, boldly slammed together in the print. d. Of food or drink: having a strong taste or smell; (esp. of wine) full-bodied, rich. Also: designating such a taste or smell. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > [adjective] > strong-tasting strongeOE stithc1000 violenta1398 tartc1405 froughc1420 high?c1430 lecherous1474 strong1588 brusque1601 valiant1607 pertish1635 haut-goût1645 full-flavoured1736 lively1770 gamey1820 ory1854 zestful?1855 robust1873 tangy1875 stewy1895 1873 Times 17 Apr. 3/6 The Tintara is a robust, sustaining wine. 1904 F. Dodsworth Bk. W. Indies 11 The crisp bleakness of our English climate imparts a robust flavour to its slowly-ripening fruit. 1924 P. G. Wodehouse Bill the Conqueror 213 A gentle breeze..brought pleasant Spring scents from the park across the road to blend with the robuster aroma of coffee and fried bacon. 1945 Los Angeles Times 28 Oct. (This Week Mag.) 7/2 (advt.) It's a grand, robust cheese treat. 1986 A. Taylor Old School Tie vi. 59 Calèche... Elizabeth Taylor's favourite perfume... I prefer it to the more robust Je Reviens. 2004 H. Fearnley-Whittingstall River Cottage Meat Bk. xi. 304 A cassoulet needs no accompaniment, save a robust and artisanal red wine. 5. a. Of a material object: sturdily constructed, solid; not easily damaged or broken, resilient. ΚΠ 1670 S. Gott Divine Hist. Genesis World vii. 164 Iron is so Robust Contumacious and Consistent in itself, that it doth not yield much to Flame. 1714 J. Macky Journey through Eng. I. xiii. 201 I must..find Fault with one Part of his Architecture, which is, the Adorning this Robust Building with the Corinthian and Composite Orders. 1827 J. Elmes Metrop. Improvem. 157 The robust columns beneath them seem built exactly for pedestals to the sturdy Ethiopians above them. 1882 Macmillan's Mag. Apr. 430/2 The room in which they found themselves, though clean, and neatly furnished with robust oaken furniture, bore symptoms of unwonted disorder. 1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials i. 36 (heading) The whole is encased in a robust steel shell. 1961 P. J. Bhatt Fund. Servo Control Engin. 58 Magnetic amplifiers and transducers are static robust units which can be conveniently mounted (e.g., astride the driving motor). 1988 Jrnl. Navigation 41 330 The compass..was a simple, robust instrument with a large steering prism. 2007 Trail Feb. 76/3 This robust accessory keeps my four mugs-worth of water piping for nine hours. b. Of an immaterial thing, esp. a thought or emotion: powerful; not showing undue sensitivity, firm, unyielding; resilient. Also occasionally of a person. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > of mind or temperament heartlyc1425 vigorous1640 robust1766 1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. i. 11 To prevent the robust title of occupancy from again taking place, the doctrine of escheats is adopted. 1807 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 13 June 1069 Such words as..were best calculated to impress his robust thoughts. 1852 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 2 The beneficial influence he has exerted as a most robust thinker and a most admirable writer. 1888 Glasgow Evening Times 24 Aug. 2/5 English is a robust language. 1905 D. Blackburn Richard Hartley, Prospector iii. 39 Spurning the idea of work with the robust contempt of the hardened tramp. 1961 Times 13 Sept. 10/2 His robust defence on theological grounds of the nuclear deterrent. 2003 R. Dawkins Devil's Chaplain 5 Scientists tend to take a robust view of truth and are impatient of philosophical equivocation. c. Economics. Of a market, economy, etc.: strong, thriving; resilient. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > management of national resources > [adjective] > relating to states or trends of the economy anti-inflation1870 anti-inflationist1874 robust1886 static1890 recessionary1897 deflationary1920 inflationary1920 maximized1920 mature1928 recessional1929 anti-inflationary1932 reflationary1932 reflationist1932 Kondratieff1935 anti-cyclical1938 flatline1946 maximizing1949 stagnationist1951 countercyclical1952 recessed1956 recessive1971 stagflationary1971 flatlined1986 1886 Liverpool Mercury 6 Sept. 8/5 Rice.—A robust market, notwithstanding heavy arrivals off coast. 1907 Times 15 May 13/2 Unrest in India, labour agitation at home,..these and other minor considerations would have been enough to sap the strength of the most robust markets. 1966 Changing Times Jan. 4/1 The residue of unemployment is still a blemish on an otherwise robust economy. 1991 Economist 24 Aug. 62/1 Property prices are just beginning to harden again and consumer spending is still remarkably robust. 2007 A. Greenspan Age of Turbulence 178 Apart from the run-up in the stock market, the economy was as robust as it had been six months before. 6. a. Statistics. Of a test: yielding approximately correct results despite the falsity of certain of the assumptions underlying it; (of a calculation, process, or result) largely independent of certain aspects of the input. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [adjective] > yielding correct or concordant results reliable1875 robust1955 1955 G. E. P. Box & S. L. Andersen in Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. B. 17 1 To fulfil the needs of the experimenter, statistical criteria should (1) be sensitive to change in the specific factors tested, (2) be insensitive to changes, of a magnitude likely to occur in practice, in extraneous factors. A test which satisfies the first requirement is said to be powerful and we shall typify a test which satisfies the second by calling it ‘robust’. 1979 Sci. Amer. Apr. 69/2 This conclusion, they point out, ‘is robust, in that we have derived it from the global geochemical distribution of uranium, and we have also derived it from the U.S. uranium-mining history and from a wide variety of subsets of the U.S. uranium-mining history’. 1996 Fibromyalgia Times Fall 5/1 A number of statistically robust and sophisticated sib pair analyses are available for researchers to utilize. 2004 T. W. O'Gorman Appl. Adaptive Statist. Methods vii. 109 Robust estimators are usually designed to reduce the influence of observations that are judged to be extreme. b. Computing. Of a program: able to recover from errors; unlikely to fail, reliable. Also: (of a program's feature set) powerful, full. ΚΠ 1979 J. J. Horning in B. Randell Computing Syst. Reliability iv. 124 Why worry about exception processing? Anyone who has ever built a large software system or tried to write a ‘robust’ program can appreciate the problem. 1992 Dr. Dobb's Jrnl. Sept. 1/1 (advt.) With all these tools, you'll write the most powerful, robust apps imaginable. 2001 W. J. Chun Core Python Programming iii. 71 One of Python's strengths is its ability to let the programmer handle errors..rather than simply exiting the program. This results in a more robust application. 2008 Lifehacker (Nexis) 21 Sept. A free, open-source password manager with a robust and easy-to-use feature set. 2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 15 Feb. (Business section) 4/4 Google learned that the early version of its calendar program was..not robust enough to meet a corporate user's need. B. n. 1. With the and plural agreement: robust people collectively. ΚΠ 1692 J. Pechey Coll. Chronical Dis. iii. 48 That firmness of Spirits..which is always found in the robust. 1700 J. Jones Myst. Opium Reveal'd xv. 202 It causes ill Symptoms oftner..in fine textur'd Men, than the robust. 1762 J. Fothergill Rules for Preserv. of Health ii. 41 Pork is only proper for the robust and strong. 1800 W. Wordsworth in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads II. 157 The robust and young, The prosperous and unthinking,..all behold in him A silent monitor. 1836 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece III. xx. 137 All other maladies terminated in this, which appeared to prey equally upon the robust and the infirm. 1917 J. R. Nickum Get Well, stop Doddering 15 The robust are interested in the activities of the robust, not in the feebleness of the feeble. 1947 Times 14 May 7/1 (advt.) A novel in which the robust will delight. 2003 A. L. Fairchild Silence at Borders iii. 94 The young..the muscular, the robust were not turned aside. 2. Physical Anthropology. A robust fossil hominid; spec. any of three australopithecines ( Australopithecus robustus, A. aethiopicus, and A. boisei) characterized by heavily built jaws, teeth, and associated musculature, and now often placed together in the genus Paranthropus. ΘΚΠ the world > people > protohuman > [adjective] Cro-Magnon1869 palaeanthropic1890 pithecanthropoid1890 pithecanthropic1897 theriozoic1898 Combe-Capelle1911 Piltdown1912 Predmost1912 Boskop1915 hominid1915 Neanderthalian1920 Tardenoisian1921 pithecanthropine1925 Sinanthropic1931 Solo1932 Florisbad1935 Steinheim1935 Sinanthropoid1937 Swanscombe1937 robust1971 1971 Man 6 604 Graciles and robusts overlapped considerably... Male gracile and female robust australopithecines were approximately equal in robustness and stature. 1987 Nature 25 June 654/3 There was little acceptance of Clarke's claim that his Stw 252..represents a new species tending towards the robusts. 2005 S. Johansson Origins Lang. iv. 59 There is..some recent support for associating some or all of the robusts with the main human lineage. Compounds Complementary and parasynthetic. robust-looking adj. ΚΠ 1769 R. Griffith Gordian Knot lxii, in R. Griffith & E. Griffith Two Novels IV. 21 I perceived an old robust looking man, stretched upon the ground. 1824 S. E. Ferrier Inheritance I. ix. 90 The portrait represents a considerably larger and more robust-looking person than Miss St. Clair. 1947 N. Collins Dulcimer Street i. 14 They were good robust-looking cigars with scarlet-and-gilt bands round them. 2005 W. S. Merwin Summer Doorways vii. 37 I stood waiting in a movie in town, with a tall, robust-looking friend. robust-lunged adj. and n. ΚΠ 1872 Labourer's Friend Apr. 37 Divers robust-lunged men..howled out vociferously an invitation to all and sundry. 1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 Apr. 3/1 The most robust-lunged must find the stifling atmosphere a severe drain on their vital force. 1899 L. O. Chant Sellcuts' Manager viii. 107 The vociferous screaming of her robust-lunged baby was..a sound of heavenly sweetness in her ear. 2008 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Tribune Rev. (Nexis) 21 Dec. Their own robust-lunged offspring. robust-minded adj. and n. ΚΠ 1844 R. Cattermole Lit. Church of Eng. I. 344 The patron of those robust-minded scholars was Laud, the most rigid of high churchmen. 1948 S. Sassoon Meredith iii. 40 He was essentially robust-minded and humorous, and..he had been toughened by experience. 1995 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 12 Feb. The robust-minded would want to gag at all this. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1490
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