Rust is not a particularly original language, with design elements coming from a wide range of sources. Some of these are listed below (including elements that have since been removed):

• SML, OCaml: algebraic data types, pattern matching, type inference, semicolon statement separation
• C++: references, RAII, smart pointers, move semantics, monomorphization, memory model
• ML Kit, Cyclone: region based memory management
• Haskell (GHC): typeclasses, type families
• Newsqueak, Alef, Limbo: channels, concurrency
• Erlang: message passing, thread failure, linked thread failure, lightweight concurrency
• Swift: optional bindings
• Scheme: hygienic macros
• C#: attributes
• Ruby: block syntax
• NIL, Hermes: typestate
• Unicode Annex #31: identifier and pattern syntax