effluent

American  

[ef-loo-uhnt] / ˈɛf lu ənt /

adjective

1. flowing out or forth.

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noun

1. something that flows out or forth; outflow; effluence.

2. a stream flowing out of a lake, reservoir, etc.

3. sewage that has been treated in a septic tank or sewage treatment plant.

4. sewage or other liquid waste that is discharged into a body of water, etc.

effluent British  

/ ˈɛflʊənt /

noun

1. liquid discharged as waste, as from an industrial plant or sewage works

2. radioactive waste released from a nuclear power station

3. a stream that flows out of another body of water

4. something that flows out or forth

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adjective

1. flowing out or forth

effluent Scientific  

/ ĕf′lo̅o̅-ənt /

1. Flowing out or forth.

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1. A stream flowing out of a body of water.

2. An outflow or discharge of liquid waste, as from a sewage system, factory, or nuclear plant.

Other Word Forms

• supereffluent adjective

Etymology

Origin of effluent

1720–30; < Latin effluent- (stem of effluēns flowing out, present participle of effluere ), equivalent to ef- ef- + flu- flow + -ent- -ent

Example Sentences

Anglian Water points out that it is not obliged to supply water for non-domestic use and suggests recycled water from the final stage of effluent treatment as a coolant rather than drinking water.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025

As effluent becomes higher and higher in quality, the challenge will become deciding who gets to use it.

From Slate • May 26, 2025

But many questions remain: Where would the effluent from a PCH sewer be treated?

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2025

In 1994, she successfully advocated for “zero discharge” agreements from Formosa and the aluminum manufacturer Alcoa to stop liquid effluent pollution.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2024

His invention, it turned out, could also cleanse noxious vapors and particulates from smelter effluent, coal particles from mine air, and much more.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• sewerage