excrete
Definitions
To discharge waste matter from the body
排泄（废物）
(of a cell or organism) to expel a substance
排出，分泌（细胞或生物体排出物质）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedex- (out) + crete (sifted, from cernere) = to sift out of the body. The body works like a sieve, separating what it keeps from what it expels. What is sifted out is excrement; the process is excretion.
Root cern still carries 28 more wordsUsage Guide
A formal/scientific word. In biology, excrete (remove metabolic waste, e.g. urine) is distinct from secrete (release a useful substance, e.g. hormones): kidneys excrete, glands secrete. In everyday English people say "pass" or "get rid of" rather than excrete.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The kidneys excrete waste products through urine.
- 2.
Plants excrete excess water through their leaves.
- 3.
The drug is excreted from the body within a few hours.
Easily Confused
excrete vs secrete — Both are bodily release verbs from the same cret root, but excrete = expel waste the body wants gone (kidneys excrete urine), while secrete = release a useful substance on purpose (glands secrete hormones). Waste out → excrete; useful product out → secrete.