Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

recrement

[rek-ruh-muh nt]
See more synonyms for recrement on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Physiology. a secretion, as saliva, that is reabsorbed by the body.
  2. refuse separated from anything; dross.
Show More

Origin of recrement

1590–1600; < Middle French < Latin recrēmentum dross, refuse, equivalent to re- re- + crē-, variant stem of cernere to sift, discern + -mentum -ment
Related formsrec·re·men·tal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for recrement

recrement

noun
  1. physiol any substance, such as bile, that is secreted from a part of the body and later reabsorbed instead of being excreted
  2. waste matter; refuse; dross
Show More
Derived Formsrecremental, adjective

Word Origin

C16: via Old French from Latin recrēmentum slag, filth, from re- + cernere to sift
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

Word Origin and History for recrement

n.

"dross, scum," 1590s, from French récrément (mid-16c.) or directly from Latin recrementum, from re- (see re-) + cernere "to sift, separate" (see crisis).

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper