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

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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