dross

American  

[draws, dros] / drɔs, drɒs /

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.

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dross British  

/ drɒs /

noun

1. the scum formed, usually by oxidation, on the surfaces of molten metals

2. worthless matter; waste

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Other Word Forms

• drossiness
  noun
• drossy
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dross

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

Explanation

Things that are a total loss — really worthless or damaging — are dross. That gunk between your teeth that comes out when you floss? You could call that dross. No one wants it, and it's harmful if it stays. While dross is a noun for stuff that's physically left over or useless, like the nonmetallic stuff left when metal gets refined, it's also used for people and forms of art. A really bad movie can be called dross, and a low or despicable person can be dross. Debris, or trash, is another form of dross. "Searching the backyard for unexploded fireworks — the dross of Chinese New Year celebrations — was a tradition for the kids and a safeguard for the dogs."

Example Sentences

Still: was that an argument, or a performance of Glengarry Glen Dross?

From The Guardian • Sep. 16, 2016

Verdict Dross swords ... a kitsch glitch for Malkovich The 1980s cartoon Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds is considerably more faithful to literature and to history than this.

From The Guardian • Oct. 21, 2010

All Gold, no earthly Dross, why look'st thou pale?

From The Lives of the Most Famous English Poets (1687) by Parker, William Riley

Man has called you whole—perhaps you are Dross ejected from some brilliant star!

From Golden Days for Boys and Girls Volume VIII, No 25: May 21, 1887 by Elverson, James

It is not to be denied, but that Shakespeare's Dramatic Works are in general very much mix'd; his Gold is strangely mingled with Dross in most of his Pieces.

From Some Remarks on the Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Written by Mr. William Shakespeare (1736) by Anonymous