excretion

¹

[ ik-skree-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of excreting.
2. the substance excreted, as urine or sweat, or certain plant products.

excretion

²

[ ik-skree-shuhn ]

noun

1. the state of being excrescent.
2. an excrescence.

excretion

/ ĭk-skrē′shən /

1. The elimination by an organism of waste products that result from metabolic processes. In plants, waste is minimal and is eliminated primarily by diffusion to the outside environment. Animals have specific organs of excretion. In vertebrates, the kidney filters blood, conserving water and producing urea and other waste products in the form of urine. The urine is then passed through the ureters to the bladder and discharged through the urethra. The skin and lungs, which eliminate carbon dioxide, are also excretory organs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of excretion¹

1595–1605; < Late Latin excrētiōn- (stem of excrētiō ) that which is sifted out. See excrete, -ion

Origin of excretion²

1605–15; < Late Latin excrētiōn- (stem of excrētiō ), equivalent to Latin excrēt ( us ) (past participle of excrēscere; ex- ¹, crescent ) + iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Saad Bhamla, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, and his research group hoped for an opportunity to study a cicada's fluid excretion.

From Science Daily

Dr. Bhamla said there was quite a lot of room for future research in the area of drip or flush excretions.

From New York Times

That may not seem like a big deal to us, but it was startling in creatures that seem to have no control over their excretions.

From Science Magazine

For more than three decades, thiazide diuretics, a common medication used for high blood pressure, have been the standard of care for kidney stone prevention because they reduce the excretion of urinary calcium.

From Science Daily

Victor Estrada’s loose, abstract paintings are vaguely scatological, the excretions of oil paint creating playful, self-contained landscapes of organic imagination confined within the four edges of a canvas.

From Los Angeles Times