dross

dross

noun \ˈdräs, ˈdrȯs\

Definition of DROSS

1

: the scum that forms on the surface of molten metal

2

: waste or foreign matter : impurity

3

: something that is base, trivial, or inferior

— drossy \ˈdrä-sē, ˈdrȯ-\ adjective

Examples of DROSS

1. There is quite a lot of dross on TV these days.
2. His editor has a talent for turning literary dross into gold.

Origin of DROSS

Middle English dros, from Old English drōs dregs

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to DROSS

Synonyms

chaff, deadwood, debris, dreck (also drek), garbage, dust, effluvium (also effluvia), junk, litter, offal, offscouring, raffle, refuse, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, spilth, trash, truck, waste

Related Words

crud, sewage, slop, swill, wash; detritus, remains, rubble, ruins; dump, scrap heap; lumber, odds and ends, trumpery; flotsam, jetsam, wreckage; castoff, cull, discard, hand-me-down, reject, throwaway; nothing, straw, two bits

Near Antonyms

catch, gem, goody (or goodie), jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trove, valuable; booty, find, salvage

Other Metals and Metallurgy Terms

assay, bloom, bullion, ductile, ingot, malleable, patina, plate, temper, tensile

Rhymes with DROSS

boss, doss, floss, fosse, gloss, joss, Kos, Maas, os, pross, stoss, toss