If you guessed that the secret to the origins of secrete is the word secret, you are correct. Secrete developed in the mid-18th century as an alteration of a now obsolete verb secret. That verb had the meaning now carried by secrete and derived from the familiar noun secret ("something kept hidden or unexplained"). The noun, in turn, traces back to the Latin secretus, the past participle of the verb secernere, meaning "to separate" or "to distinguish." Incidentally, there is an earlier and distinct verb secrete with the more scientific meaning "to form and give off (a secretion)." That secrete is a back-formation from secretion, another word that can be traced back to secernere.
conceal usually does imply intent and often specifically implies a refusal to divulge.
concealed the weapon
screen implies an interposing of something that prevents discovery.
a house screened by trees
secrete suggests a depositing in a place unknown to others.
secreted the amulet inside his shirt
bury implies covering up so as to hide completely.
buried the treasure
Examples of secrete in a Sentence
Verb (2)
the police found the weapon secreted under the driver's seat of the getaway car
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The homicide detective who located the guns, which were secreted in backpacks in a bedroom closet, as Knox had said, testified about finding masks and gloves alongside the weapons.—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 29 Feb. 2024 The embryos were nourished by a milk-like substance secreted in the oviduct.—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2024 The first is to secrete an additional layer of dentin to delay the approaching attack.—Samer Zaky, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024 As a defense mechanism, ladybugs secrete a substance that can cause painful mouth and stomach ulcers, Watkins says.—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024 Joints are wrapped in a capsule of connective tissue that secretes synovial fluid as a lubricant when the joints are moved.—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024 Fat cells secrete adiponectin, a protein hormone which improves insulin sensitivity and lowers the risk of atherosclerosis and diabetes.—Elizabeth Woolley, Verywell Health, 9 Apr. 2024 Stay in one of the park’s cozy cabins, secreted among the tall pines, or nab one of the 59 campsites that put some of Florida’s most pristine white-sand beaches at your doorstep.—Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024 Before being born, white sharks are sustained by a special substance, called intrauterine milk, that is secreted in their mothers’ uteruses.—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'secrete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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