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

As the bark burned, tar vapors condensed against the cooler surface, leaving behind a sticky residue that could be collected.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Her order contained hazelnut residue because the blender had not been washed after a Kinder Bueno milkshake was made in it beforehand, an inquest concluded on Thursday.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

A mother with black residue from the smoke on her hands stood crying outside the hospital as she held her 10-day-old baby in her arms.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 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

The lawmen were untrained in forensic methods and didn’t make a cast impression of the tire marks, or dust the bottle for fingerprints, or check Anna’s body for gunpowder residue.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

He found that many of the chemical residues in cotton and cotton-rich garments can wash out during laundering, but also that chemicals can migrate more readily from cotton than polyester into sweat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 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

His forehead had residues of sweat and his mouth was slightly open.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

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Related Words

• debris
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