RUBBER

I. noun Date: 1536 1. one that rubs, an instrument or object (as a ~ eraser) used in rubbing, polishing, scraping, or cleaning, something that prevents rubbing or chafing, 2. \from its use in erasers] an elastic substance that is obtained by coagulating the milky juice of any of various tropical plants (as of the genera Hevea and Ficus ), is essentially a polymer of isoprene, and is prepared as sheets and then dried, any of various synthetic ~like substances, natural or synthetic ~ modified by chemical treatment to increase its useful properties (as toughness and resistance to wear) and used especially in tires, electrical insulation, and waterproof materials, something made of or resembling ~: as, a ~ overshoe, b. a ~ tire, the set of tires on a vehicle, a rectangular slab of white ~ in the middle of a baseball infield on which a pitcher stands while pitching, condom 1, ~ adjective II. noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1599 a contest consisting of an odd number of games won by the side that takes a majority (as two out of three), an odd game played to determine the winner of a tie