Robust

How to spell robust

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce robust

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does robust mean?

1. adjectiveStrong, healthy, or sturdily built, and able to withstand strain or difficult conditions.

Robust in a sentence

• The bridge was designed to be robust enough for heavy lorries.

• A robust immune system helps the body fight off infection.

Where does robust come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Robust comes from the Latin adjective robustus, which literally meant 'made of oak' and so 'strong and hardy'. It was built on the noun robur, the Latin word for the oak tree, a timber the Romans prized for being dense and hard-wearing, and robur came to mean 'strength' itself by association. English took the word up in the late sixteenth century, applying it first to people of vigorous health and then more widely to anything sturdy or able to withstand strain. The same oak-rooted ancestor survives in the word 'corroborate', literally to strengthen an argument with supporting evidence. Because the spelling is phonetic and stays close to its Latin source, the only thing to remember is the single 'b' and the plain '-ust' ending, with no silent letters to trip over.

How the word is built

• robur (oak, hence strength)
• -ust (adjective ending, via Latin robustus)