excrete

[ik-skreet]

verb (used with object)

excreted, excreting 

1. to separate and eliminate from an organic body; separate and expel from the blood or tissues, as waste or harmful matter.

excrete

/ ɪkˈskriːt /

verb

1. to discharge (waste matter, such as urine, sweat, carbon dioxide, or faeces) from the body through the kidneys, skin, lungs, bowels, etc

2. (of plants) to eliminate (waste matter, such as carbon dioxide and salts) through the leaves, roots, etc

Other Word Forms

• excreter noun
• excretive adjective
• unexcreted adjective
• excretion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of excrete¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin excrētus “sifted out,” past participle of excernere “to sift out, separate,” from ex- ex- ¹ + cernere “to decide, separate, sift”

Word History and Origins

Origin of excrete¹

C17: from Latin excernere to separate, discharge, from cernere to sift

Example Sentences

In 2022, Dudley worked with collaborators in Panama to show that wild spider monkeys consume fermented fruit containing alcohol and later excrete alcohol metabolites in their urine.

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Camels help it spread by eating the pods and excreting them far and wide.

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To understand how reptiles manage to excrete these crystals safely, Jennifer Swift and her research team analyzed urates from more than 20 species.

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For one, there are many different kinds that all look different, and evidence of parasitic infection can be excreted as parasitic larvae, which are microscopic.

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When water is lost, the body also excretes key electrolytes such as potassium and sodium.

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Related Words

• discharge 
• secrete