excretion

1
[ ik-skree-shuhn ]
See synonyms for excretion on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of excreting.

  2. the substance excreted, as urine or sweat, or certain plant products.

Origin of excretion

1
1595–1605; <Late Latin excrētiōn- (stem of excrētiō) that which is sifted out. See excrete, -ion

Words Nearby excretion

Other definitions for excretion (2 of 2)

excretion2
[ ik-skree-shuhn ]

noun
  1. the state of being excrescent.

  2. an excrescence.

Origin of excretion

2
1605–15; <Late Latin excrētiōn- (stem of excrētiō), equivalent to Latin excrēt(us) (past participle of excrēscere;see ex-1, crescent) + iōn--ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use excretion in a sentence

  • The organs of excretion: such as the kidneys and skin, which pass off nitrogenous and other waste matters from the body.

    A Civic Biology | George William Hunter
  • In man, the skin and kidneys remove this waste from the body, hence they are called the organs of excretion.

    A Civic Biology | George William Hunter

Scientific definitions for excretion

excretion

[ ĭk-skrēshən ]


  1. The elimination by an organism of waste products that result from metabolic processes. In plants, waste is minimal and is eliminated primarily by diffusion to the outside environment. Animals have specific organs of excretion. In vertebrates, the kidney filters blood, conserving water and producing urea and other waste products in the form of urine. The urine is then passed through the ureters to the bladder and discharged through the urethra. The skin and lungs, which eliminate carbon dioxide, are also excretory organs.

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