Gust

How to spell gust

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce gust

What does gust mean?

1. nounA sudden, strong rush of wind.
2. verbTo blow in sudden, strong rushes.

Gust in a sentence

• noun

  A sudden gust of wind blew the papers off the desk.

• verb

  The wind began to gust as the front moved in.

• noun

  The umbrella turned inside out in a sharp gust.

• verb

  Forecasters warned the wind could gust to sixty miles an hour.

Where does gust come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

This word comes from the Old Norse gustr, meaning a sudden cold blast or rush of wind. That noun was related to the verb gjósa, which meant 'to gush' or 'to pour out forcibly', so the original sense carried a strong feeling of air bursting out all at once. English picked the word up in the late 1500s, most likely through the Norse-influenced speech of northern Britain, and it kept its blustery meaning almost unchanged. The same gushing root that gave us gust also lies behind the modern word 'gush', which is why both describe something surging out suddenly. Because the spelling is short and phonetic, the only real care needed is remembering the single 's' before the 't'.

How the word is built

• gust (from Old Norse gustr: a sudden blast of wind)