residue

American  

[rez-i-doo, -dyoo] / ˈrɛz ɪˌdu, -ˌdju /

noun

• residues
  plural

1. 

   something that remains after a part is removed, disposed of, or used; remainder; rest; remnant.

   Synonyms:

   residuum

2. Chemistry.

   1. residuum.

   2. an atom or group of atoms considered as a group or part of a molecule.

   3. that part remaining as a solid on a filter paper after a liquid passes through in the filtration procedure.

3. Law. the part of a testator's estate that remains after the payment of all debts, charges, special devises, and bequests.

4. Mathematics.

   1. the coefficient of the term with exponent −1 in a Laurent series of a function of a complex variable.

   2. a number related to a given number by a congruence.

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residue British  

/ ˈrɛzɪˌdjuː /

noun

1. matter remaining after something has been removed

2. law what is left of an estate after the discharge of debts and distribution of specific gifts

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Synonym Usage

See remainder.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• residues
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of residue

1300–50; Middle English from Middle French residu from Latin residuum “what is left over”; see residual

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Explanation

Residue is anything that's left over when a substance has been removed, like the grease left over on a frying pan. It can also mean, simply, "remainder." When residue refers to a liquid, it’s what’s left at the bottom of a bottle, a pot, or a can after the rest has been poured out. Legally, the residue is the remainder of the money in an estate, after bills and taxes have been paid. So if your millionaire aunt leaves you her estate, but didn’t pay any bills for the last ten years, you may not get much residue!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

residue residues

Gunshot residue was found and DNA tests later confirmed a match to both Darkes and Clarke.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The continent's widespread emissions are driven by industrialisation, economic development and transport, as well as wildfires and the burning of agricultural residue.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

The new space cannot fully replicate the experience of visiting the cavernous undercroft when it was still raw and unfinished, with bottom-level soil so peaty that residue clung to one’s shoes for days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Blake had gunpowder residue on his body, which he explained by saying he’d been at target practice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

He groped for what he knew had been there, and all he fished up was the awful word Weep, slick with wrongness, damp as bad dreams, and tinged with its residue of salt.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

The company’s technology stems from sensors used to detect land mines in war zones by looking for explosive residues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The residues of that history are not confined to old paint.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

But the petroleum products are masked in manifests — labeled waste material, lubricants, residues and other items not subject to the high taxes that Mexico levies on imported fuel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Additionally, concerns regarding pesticide residues, heavy metals, and microplastics in tea have been raised.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026

Insecticide residues have been recovered from human milk in samples tested by Food and Drug Administration Scientists.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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Related Words

• debris
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