excrete

[ ik-skreet ]

verb (used with object)

, ex·cret·ed, ex·cret·ing.

1. to separate and eliminate from an organic body; separate and expel from the blood or tissues, as waste or harmful matter.

excrete

/ ɪkˈskriːt /

verb

1. to discharge (waste matter, such as urine, sweat, carbon dioxide, or faeces) from the body through the kidneys, skin, lungs, bowels, etc
2. (of plants) to eliminate (waste matter, such as carbon dioxide and salts) through the leaves, roots, etc

Derived Forms

• exˈcretive, adjective
• exˈcretion, noun
• exˈcreter, noun

Other Words From

• ex·creter noun
• ex·cretive adjective
• unex·creted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of excrete¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin excrētus “sifted out,” past participle of excernere “to sift out, separate,” from ex- ex- ¹ + cernere “to decide, separate, sift”

Word History and Origins

Origin of excrete¹

C17: from Latin excernere to separate, discharge, from cernere to sift

Example Sentences

He’s heard that by exposing it to the perfect cheeseball pop song — upbeat, sincere — it will excrete a natural hallucinogenic: a profitable slime.

From Los Angeles Times

The body can then easily excrete the metals.

From Los Angeles Times

But instead of a barrier to keep out the impure, they are means of removing it, of excreting all that “poisons the blood,” to use Trump’s Hitlerian metaphor.

From Salon

Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose are not metabolized by the human body so they are excreted – this is what makes them low-calorie sugar alternatives.

From Salon

While slurping, the insect excretes a substance that weakens the tree's defenses and causes damage that impedes the flow of nutrients between root and crown, he said.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• discharge
• secrete