secrete

[si-kreet]

See more synonyms for secrete on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), se·cret·ed, se·cret·ing.

to discharge, generate, or release by the process of secretion.

Origin of secrete

First recorded in 1700–10; back formation from secretion

secrete

[si-kreet]

verb (used with object), se·cret·ed, se·cret·ing.

to place out of sight; hide; conceal: squirrels secreting nuts in a hollow tree trunk.

Origin of secrete

1735–45; alteration of obsolete secret, v. use of secret

Synonyms for secrete

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

cover, shroud, disguise. See hide¹.

secrète

[suh-kret]

noun Armor.

a steel skullcap of the 17th century, worn under a soft hat.

Origin of secrète

From French; see origin at secret

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for secrete

stow, stash, perspire, excrete, plant, cache, secure, shroud, conceal, veil, screen, whitewash, cover, stonewall, withhold, disguise, paper, deposit, seclude, ensconce

Examples from the Web for secrete

Contemporary Examples of secrete

Your body begins to secrete adrenaline, your cortisol levels rise, and your heart starts pumping faster.
How to Overcome Anxiety, Starting Now
DailyBurn
April 5, 2014

Historical Examples of secrete

Then give up to us the seditious papers which you secrete in your house.
The Black Tulip
Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
But when it has been milked two or three times it ceases to secrete.
The Industries of Animals
Frdric Houssay
But the frere brake his faste in a secrete place in the same house.
Shakespeare Jest-Books;
Unknown
De Spain drew quickly back to where he could secrete himself.
Nan of Music Mountain
Frank H. Spearman
You can hardly find them by day, for they are cunning and secrete themselves.
Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey-Bee
L. L. Langstroth

British Dictionary definitions for secrete

secrete

verb

(of a cell, organ, etc) to synthesize and release (a secretion)

Derived Formssecretor, noun

Word Origin for secrete

C18: back formation from secretion

secrete

verb

(tr) to put in a hiding place

Word Origin for secrete

C18: variant of obsolete secret to hide away; see secret (n)

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 secrete

1707, back-formation from secretion. Related: Secreted; secretes; secreting.

secrete in Medicine

secrete

[sĭ-krēt′]

To generate and release a substance from a cell or a gland.

secrete in Science

secrete

[sĭ-krēt′]

To produce and discharge a substance, especially from the cells of specialized glands. For example, the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas secrete the hormone insulin.