Excrete

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɛkˈskɹiːt/

Definitions

1. The biological process involves the removal of metabolic waste products from an organism through various bodily functions
2. The act consists of discharging various waste substances from the body to maintain homeostasis and health
3. The process entails the elimination of waste materials from the body, specifically through processes such as sweating, urination, and defecation

Etymology: The verb "excrete" is a Latin inheritance dressed up in a physiological meaning that its ancestors never had. Its Latin source, "excernere," was built from "ex-" meaning "out" and "cernere," meaning "to separate" or "to sift." The original idea was of sifting something out from a mixture, which is also the root behind "discern" and "certain." Nothing about the bodily sense was present in the Latin itself; the word described separating and putting out in a general sense. English took the word from Latin in its past-participle form, "excretum," which named the thing that had been sifted out. Over time the meaning narrowed from general separation toward the discharge of matter the body no longer needs. The verb carries that narrower sense today, covering sweat, urine, and feces, as the definition above describes.

Synonyms: eliminate, discharge

Antonyms: absorb