dregs

/ drɛɡz /

plural noun

1. solid particles that tend to settle at the bottom of some liquids, such as wine or coffee
2. residue or remains
3. slang.
   a despicable person

Word History and Origins

Origin of dregs¹

C14 dreg, from Old Norse dregg; compare Icelandic dreggjar dregs, Latin fracēs oil dregs

Example Sentences

It’s funny how this moment is bringing up those little dregs of work that I still need to do in that area.

From Los Angeles Times

During a tour of the New York facility that sorts the city’s recyclables, I saw the result of a million well-intentioned mistakes — countless bags sloshing over conveyor belts like the unwanted dregs at the bottom of a cereal bowl.

From Salon

Models suggest that the last dregs of the magma ocean crystallized into dense minerals including ilmenite, a mineral containing titanium and iron.

From Science Daily

Not only did USC fall well short of the goals its quarterback had jotted down in his phone before the season — a Pac-12 title, a Playoff berth, a national title, a second Heisman — but in the process, Williams’ every move was carefully picked apart under a microscope, feeding perceptions from the darkest dregs of college sports fandom.

From Los Angeles Times

This isn't some wonky egg-adjacent product with the dregs of the vegetable scraps; these bites often taste fresh and bright, with a subtle cheesiness or pockets of kale or mushrooms, all ensconced in an easy-to-eat, slightly jiggly, protein-packed bite.

From Salon