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• secrete
  secrete

  verb (used with object)

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

  noun

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

secrete

¹ American  

[si-kreet] / sɪˈkrit /

verb (used with object)

secreted, secreting

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

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secrete ² American  

[si-kreet] / sɪˈkrit /

verb (used with object)

secreted, secreting

1. to place out of sight; hide; conceal.

   squirrels secreting nuts in a hollow tree trunk.

   Synonyms:

   disguise, shroud, cover

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secrète ³ American  

[suh-kret] / səˈkrɛt /

noun

Armor.

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

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secrete ¹ British  

/ sɪˈkriːt /

verb

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

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secrete ² British  

/ sɪˈkriːt /

verb

1. (tr) to put in a hiding place

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secrete Scientific  

/ sĭ-krēt′ /

1. 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.

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Related Words

See hide ¹.

Other Word Forms

• secretor
  noun

Etymology

Origin of secrete¹

First recorded in 1700–10; back formation from secretion

Origin of secrete²

1735–45; alteration of obsolete secret, verb use of secret

Origin of secrète³

From French; see origin at secret

Explanation

Secrete is all about secrets. It means both "to hide" and "to release." When you squeeze a lemon, it secretes juice. When you stuff your money in a mattress, you secrete it there. It's easy to remember that secrete's all about secrets when you see the word secret inside secrete. Imagine the first person who squeezed a lemon and secreted the juice. Probably felt like he'd discovered a secret stash of citrus goodness. If he was greedy, maybe he gathered all the lemons he could find and secreted them away in a box so no one else would learn the secret of the juice-secretion.

Related Words

• stash
• stow