Definition

Having the appearance or texture of sawdust, often used to describe something that is dusty or covered with fine wood particles.

Example

The old workshop was sawdusty, with tiny wood shavings covering the floor.

Conversation

I just finished a woodworking project, and now my hands are all sawdusty.

Sounds like you had a productive day!

Yeah, but I didn’t expect to get so sawdusty in the process.

At least you made something cool; that’s what matters!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

The word 'sawdusty' is formed from 'saw' (from Old English 'sagu', meaning to cut or saw) and 'dust' (from Old French 'doste', meaning fine particles). The suffix '-y' indicates a characteristic or quality. Thus, 'sawdusty' describes something that has the quality or characteristic of sawdust, which consists of fine particles produced by sawing wood.

Memory Tip

Think of the word 'saw' which means to cut wood, and 'dust' which refers to fine particles. When you combine these ideas, you can picture something that is covered in or resembles the fine particles created when wood is sawed.

Visually Confused Words