dreg

[ dreg ]

/ drɛg /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dreg ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

dredge up, dredger, dredging, dredging machine, dree, dregs, dreggy, dregs, dreibund, dreich, dreidel

Origin of dreg

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dregs

All the good stuff—the Oscar bait—comes out in November or December; the dregs are reserved for January and February.
‘A Field in England’ Is a Psychedelic Cinematic Trip|Andrew Romano|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are not interested in the dregs from my stash of clothes.
The Pointlessness of Some Disaster Charity After the Indian Floods|Dilip D’Souza|June 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Having drunk the Clinton Global Initiative to the dregs, a hopey-changey hangover ensues.
Is It Over? A 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Postmortem|Matthew DeLuca|September 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The fish dies and is brought back to life—along with grandpa—with the dregs of a bag of chips.
The 20 Best Super Bowl Commercials|The Daily Beast Video|February 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST

According to Kennedys version, it is the heros excess in draining the cup to the dregs which calls for punishment.
Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail|Alfred Nutt
The cup of bitterness was not, however, drained to the dregs.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. V. (of 12)|Edmund Burke
"Most remarkably strange, and very unfortunate for me," admitted Gwen, drinking her cup of bitterness to the dregs.
The Youngest Girl in the Fifth|Angela Brazil
Perhaps because of the similarity of their miserable origin in the dregs of mankind, she had understood Ricardo perfectly.
Victory|Joseph Conrad
He held it up to the light and satisfied himself that no dregs remained.
The Yellow Crayon|E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for dregs (1 of 2)

dregs

/ (drɛɡz) /

pl n

solid particles that tend to settle at the bottom of some liquids, such as wine or coffee

residue or remains

British slang a despicable person

Word Origin for dregs

C14 dreg, from Old Norse dregg; compare Icelandic dreggjar dregs, Latin fracēs oil dregs

British Dictionary definitions for dregs (2 of 2)

dreg

/ (drɛɡ) /

noun

a small quantitynot a dreg of pity See also dregs

Word Origin for dreg

see dregs

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

Word Origin and History for dregs (1 of 2)

dregs

c.1300 (implied in surname Dryngedregges), from Old Norse dregg "sediment," from Proto-Germanic *drag- (cf. Old High German trestir, German Trester "grapeskins, husks"), from PIE *dher- (1) "to make muddy." Replaced Old English cognate dræst, dærst "dregs, lees." Figurative use is from 1530s.

Word Origin and History for dregs (1 of 2)

dreg

see dregs.

dreg

noun

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Origin of dreg

Examples from the Web for dregs

British Dictionary definitions for dregs (1 of 2)

dregs

pl n

Word Origin for dregs

British Dictionary definitions for dregs (2 of 2)

dreg

noun

Word Origin for dreg

Word Origin and History for dregs (1 of 2)

dregs

Word Origin and History for dregs (1 of 2)

dreg