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secrete

1
[ si-kreet ]
/ sɪˈkrit /
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See synonyms for: secrete / secreted on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), se·cret·ed, se·cret·ing.
to discharge, generate, or release by the process of secretion.
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Origin of secrete

1
First recorded in 1700–10; back formation from secretion

Other definitions for secrete (2 of 3)

secrete2
[ si-kreet ]
/ sɪˈkrit /
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.

OTHER WORDS FOR secrete

cover, shroud, disguise.
See synonyms for secrete on Thesaurus.com

Origin of secrete

2
1735–45; alteration of obsolete secret, verb use of secret

synonym study for secrete

See hide1.

Other definitions for secrete (3 of 3)

secrète
[ suh-kret ]
/ səˈkrɛt /
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. 2023

Words related to secrete

stash, stow, excrete, perspire, bury, cache, conceal, cover, deposit, disguise, ditch, ensconce, harbor, palm, paper, screen, seclude, secure, shroud, stonewall

How to use secrete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for secrete (1 of 2)

secrete1
/ (sɪˈkriːt) /
verb
(of a cell, organ, etc) to synthesize and release (a secretion)

Derived forms of secrete

secretor, noun

Word Origin for secrete

C18: back formation from secretion

British Dictionary definitions for secrete (2 of 2)

secrete2
/ (sɪˈkriːt) /
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

Scientific definitions for secrete

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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