Dictionary.com
definitions

recrement

[ rek-ruh-muh nt ]
/ ˈrɛk rə mənt /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recrement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Physiology. a secretion, as saliva, that is reabsorbed by the body.
refuse separated from anything; dross.

RELATED WORDS

lava, glut, waste, exuberance, surplus, overkill, refuse, trash, impurity, dregs, scum, slag, sediment, lees, scoria, residue, ashes, dross, cinders, profusion

Nearby words

  1. recreational drug,
  2. recreational vehicle,
  3. recreationalist,
  4. recreationist,
  5. recreatory,
  6. recriminate,
  7. recrimination,
  8. recriminatory,
  9. recross,
  10. recrudesce

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. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for recrement

recrement

/ (ˈrɛkrɪmənt) /

noun

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

Word Origin for recrement

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

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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper