recrement
Americannoun
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Physiology. a secretion, as saliva, that is reabsorbed by the body.
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refuse separated from anything; dross.
noun
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physiol any substance, such as bile, that is secreted from a part of the body and later reabsorbed instead of being excreted
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waste matter; refuse; dross
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of recrement
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French, from Latin recrēmentum “dross, refuse,” from re- re- + crē- (variant stem of cernere “to decide, separate, sift”) + -mentum -ment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The animal, in that case, would arm itself with its own refuse in the same way as it sometimes builds itself a home with its intestinal recrement.
From The Life of the fly; with which are interspersed some chapters of autobiography by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
