definitions

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.

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RELATED WORDS

residue, lees, dirt, slag, waste, settlings, outcast, riffraff, rabble, loser, scum, trash, draff

Nearby words

dredge up, dredger, dredging, dredging machine, dree, dreg, 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

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