fecula

[ fek-yuh-luh ]

/ ˈfɛk yə lə /

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noun, plural fec·u·lae

[fek-yuh-lee]. /ˈfɛk yəˌli/.

fecal matter, especially of insects.

foul or muddy matter; dregs.

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Origin of fecula

<Latin faecula burnt tartar, dried lees of wine, equivalent to faec- (stem of faex;see feces) + -ula-ule

Words nearby fecula

fecht, fecit, feck, fecking, feckless, fecula, feculent, fecund, fecundate, fecundation, fecundity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use fecula in a sentence

It may also be observed, that as fecula absorbs less water than flour, this affords a ready means of detection.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
When dried with stirring upon hot iron plates, it agglomerates into small lumps, called tapioca; being a gummy fecula.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
With this fecula was mingled a mucilaginous juice of disagreeable flavour, but which it would be easy to get rid of by pressure.
Abandoned|Jules Verne
Starch (Farina or Fecula) is the form in which this common plant material is, as it were, laid by for future use.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

We supposed that rye-flour, pea-flour, and potato fecula were largely used in the making of it.
Six Women and the Invasion|Gabrielle Yerta

British Dictionary definitions for fecula

fecula

/ (ˈfɛkjʊlə) /

noun plural -lae (-ˌliː)

starch obtained by washing the crushed parts of plants, such as the potato

faecal material, esp of insects

Word Origin for fecula

C17: from Latin: burnt tartar, appearing as a crust in wine, from faex sediment

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