secretion

American  

[si-kree-shuhn] / sɪˈkri ʃən /

noun

• secretions
  plural

1. (in a cell or gland) the act or process of separating, elaborating, and releasing a substance that fulfills some function within the organism or undergoes excretion.

2. the product of this act or process.

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secretion British  

/ sɪˈkriːʃən /

noun

1. a substance that is released from a cell, esp a glandular cell, and is synthesized in the cell

2. the process involved in producing and releasing such a substance from the cell

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secretion Scientific  

/ sĭ-krē′shən /

1. The process of secreting a substance from a cell or gland.

2. A substance, such as saliva, mucus, tears, bile, or a hormone, that is secreted.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsecretion
  noun
• oversecretion
  noun
• supersecretion
  noun
• nonsecretionary
  adjective
• secretionary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• secretions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of secretion

1640–50; < Latin sēcrētiōn- (stem of sēcrētiō ), equivalent to sēcrēt ( us ) (past participle of sēcernere to secern ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A secretion is a substance made and released by a living thing, like when your skin sweats. Secretions don't have to do with secrets, but with secreting: synthesizing and then producing a substance. A machine can't make a secretion — only living things can. Many secretions are harmless, while others are dangerous to other animals. For example, the secretions of some frogs are a type of poison. Some secretions stay within an animal, like the bile secreted by our livers. Saliva is another secretion. The word comes from the Latin root secretionem, "separation."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secretion secretions

Their effects include stimulating insulin secretion, reducing appetite and increasing feelings of fullness, which can support weight loss.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

Bees, however, often coat their nests with a waxy secretion that creates a waterproof, polished interior.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026

Instead, they travel along environmental and host surfaces using a specialized machine known as the type 9 secretion system, or T9SS.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026

Novo’s cautious C-suite was ready to target Type 2 diabetes—an obvious choice, as GLP-1 augments insulin secretion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

The decanted infant howls; at once a nurse appears with a bottle of external secretion.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Nurse bees eat this material and process its nutrients into glandular secretions, including royal jelly, which are then fed to developing larvae.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

It was a tale about organic matter, the sound and smell of silk, wool and cotton, their inevitable decay a result of skin secretions, chemicals, light and time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

The devastating viral infection, carried by wild birds, spreads primarily through respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact and can also be contracted by mammals that ingest birds or other products.

From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2024

But we do know infected birds can shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions and feces.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2024

His adrenal gland, by degrees, ceased jumping its several secretions into his bloodstream; his heart slowed to normal, his breathing became less frantic.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• bile
• mucus
• saliva