Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Waste matter; dross.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Superfluous matter separated from that which is useful; dross; scoria; spume.
  • noun In medicine, a fluid which, after having been separated from the blood, is returned to it, as the saliva, the secretion of serous membranes, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Superfluous matter separated from that which is useful; dross; scoria.
  • noun obsolete Excrement.
  • noun A substance secreted from the blood and again absorbed by it.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun waste matter or dross
  • noun biology A bodily secretion that is reabsorbed into the blood

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin recrēmentum : re-, re- + cernere, crē-, to separate; see krei- in Indo-European roots.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word recrement.

Examples

  • Another: - Sprinkle (on the sore?) lead finely triturated with the recrement of copper; and sprinkle on it, also, the shavings of lotus, and the scales of copper, and alum, and chalcitis, with copper, both alone, and with the shavings of lotus.

    On Ulcers 2007

  • The animal, in that case, would arm itself with its own refuse in the same way as it sometimes builds itself a home with its intestinal recrement.

    The Life of the fly; with which are interspersed some chapters of autobiography Jean-Henri Fabre 1869

  • Dictionary compilers at Collins have decided that the word list for the forthcoming edition of its largest volume is embrangled with words so obscure that they are linguistic recrement.

    Original Signal - Transmitting Buzz 2008

  • Farewell embranglement, recrement, fusby and numerous others.

    Blogposts | guardian.co.uk Lindesay Irvine 2008

  • Apparently, one man's linguistic recrement (waste, refuse) is another man's treasure.

    TIME.com: Top Stories 2008

  • : bright, glistening olid: foul-smelling oppugnant: combative, antagonistic, or contrary recrement: waste matter, refuse, dross reborant

    Club Troppo 2008

  • Ye scum -- ye recrement -- why do ye run? "said the knight, puffing with great vigour.

    Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 1 (of 2) John Roby 1821

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • The superfluous or useless portion of any substance; refuse, dross, scum, off-scouring. (From WWFTD)

    June 7, 2008

  • See scoria.

    January 25, 2016