dross

[ draws, dros ]

noun

1. waste matter; refuse.
2. Metallurgy. a waste product taken off molten metal during smelting, essentially metallic in character.
3. British. coal of little value.

dross

/ drɒs /

noun

1. the scum formed, usually by oxidation, on the surfaces of molten metals
2. worthless matter; waste

Derived Forms

• ˈdrossy, adjective
• ˈdrossiness, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dross¹

before 1050; Middle English dros ( se ), Old English drōs; cognate with Middle Dutch droes dregs; compare Middle English drōsen, Old English drōsna; cognate with Middle High German truosen husks

Word History and Origins

Origin of dross¹

Old English drōs dregs; related to Old High German truosana

Example Sentences

And I will turn my hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross, and I will take away all thy tin.

From Project Gutenberg

Though, rightly considered, it was but dross and dust, and riches were an awful snare.

From Project Gutenberg

The poetry lies in a heap of dross, and must be painfully smelted out.

From Project Gutenberg

The lead should be melted first and all the dross cleaned off.

From Project Gutenberg

So you can find in Vane the pure gold of two hundred and fifty years of American civilisation, with no particle of its dross.

From Project Gutenberg