Definition of "russet" [rus•set]

• A moderate to strong brown. (noun)
• A coarse reddish-brown to brown homespun cloth. (noun)
• A winter apple with a rough reddish-brown skin. (noun)
• A russet Burbank. (noun)
• Moderate to strong brown. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Kwaque blossomed out resplendent in russet-brown shoes, a derby hat, and a gray suit with trousers immaculately creased."
• "They were like little men, about four feet high, walking upright, but clad in russet hair."
• "In lines later excised at Charles Lamb's urging, the poem's speaker goes on to chastise Susan as a "Poor Outcast" (perhaps a prostitute, then no uncommon condition) who should return to her father's rustic home and, having replaced her fancy loomed dress for a "plain russet" home-spun gown, once again hear a "thrush sing from a tree of its own" (17-20)."