dreg

American

[dreg] / drɛg /

noun

dregs, the sediment of liquids; lees; grounds.
Usually dregs. the least valuable part of anything.

the dregs of society.
a small remnant; any small quantity.

dreg British

/ drɛɡ /

noun

a small quantity See also dregs

not a dreg of pity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dreg

1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse dreg yeast (plural dreggjar dregs); cognate with Old Swedish dräg dregs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023