frass

[ fras ]

/ fræs /

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noun

insect excrement.

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Origin of frass

1850–55; originally, the refuse and excrement of boring or leaf-eating insects <German Frass insect damage, corrosion, noun from base of fressen to eat (of animals); see fress, fret¹

Words nearby frass

frappe, F.R.A.S., Frascati, Frasch process, Fraser, frass, frat, fratch, fratching, frater, fraternal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use frass in a sentence

With no use for the nitrogen, the element becomes waste, known as frass.
The surprising link between caterpillar poop and our climate|Elana Spivack|November 3, 2021|Popular-Science
The nitrogen-heavy frass washes into nearby bodies of water.
The surprising link between caterpillar poop and our climate|Elana Spivack|November 3, 2021|Popular-Science
The sound of the falling frass from the thousands of caterpillars resembles a shower of rain.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882|Various
Generally underneath the tree will be found the frass, or ejectamenta, of the caterpillar.
The Butterfly Book|William Jacob Holland

British Dictionary definitions for frass

frass

/ (fræs) /

noun

excrement or other refuse left by insects and insect larvae

Word Origin for frass

C19: from German, from fressen to devour

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