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dross

Pronunciation: /dɹɒs/

The English word “dross” has 6 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. Residue that forms as a scum on the surface of molten metal from oxidation.
  2. The impurities in metal.
  3. A waste product from working with metal.
  4. Worthless or trivial matter.
  5. Residual raw opium left in an opium pipe which can be recycled for further sale or use.

verb

  1. To remove dross from.

Etymology

From Middle English drosse, dros, from Old English drōs, from Proto-Germanic *drōhs (“dregs, sediment”). Also compare Old English drōsna, drōsne (“a ground, sediment, lees, dregs, dirt, ear wax”), from Proto-Germanic *drōhsnǭ, *drōhsnō (“dregs, sediment”), derived from *drōhs. Alternatively, this may be from *dragjō + *-snō (“yeast, sediment”; compare *dragjō (“yeast”)), as if from *drēcg + -sn.…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.