effluent
Americanadjective
noun
-
something that flows out or forth; outflow; effluence.
-
a stream flowing out of a lake, reservoir, etc.
-
sewage that has been treated in a septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
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sewage or other liquid waste that is discharged into a body of water, etc.
noun
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liquid discharged as waste, as from an industrial plant or sewage works
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radioactive waste released from a nuclear power station
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a stream that flows out of another body of water
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something that flows out or forth
adjective
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A stream flowing out of a body of water.
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An outflow or discharge of liquid waste, as from a sewage system, factory, or nuclear plant.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of effluent
1720–30; < Latin effluent- (stem of effluēns flowing out, present participle of effluere ), equivalent to ef- ef- + flu- flow + -ent- -ent
Explanation
If a local company is accused of dumping effluent into the water supply, then you'd better stock up on bottled water. Effluent is sewage or other waste that’s dumped into water. Effluent traces back to a Latin word meaning “flowing out,” and as an adjective the word can still be used in that sense. An effluent stream is one whose water is continually flowing out of the ground, from a spring or other source. But the noun form of effluent refers to waste of some kind that’s been mixed with water. If effluent is released, it can contaminate a water supply. Gross.
Vocabulary lists containing effluent
Big Science
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Enrique's Journey
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Trash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Effluent is suspended in the water, making it hard to separate and remove.
From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2023
Effluent and emissions from dairy farming and landfills pollute the air and water in the local communities.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2021
Mahadi Hasan, a manager, offered a tour of the Effluent Treatment Plant, where wastewater is treated with chemicals in a series of concrete tubs.
From New York Times • Jul. 15, 2013
Then finally up rivers in four states, taking in the Final Mill Effluent Treatment Center, to a spot 35 miles SW of Chicago.
From The Guardian • Jun. 25, 2013
Effluent spills into the water from a three-foot-wide pipe close by.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
