Did you know?
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.
Examples of secrete in a Sentence
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2025
Prostaglandins are natural chemicals in the body that are secreted when there is an injury or inflammation.
—Carol Eustice, Verywell Health, 18 Aug. 2025
The young serum triggered changes in bone marrow cells, leading them to secrete rejuvenating factors.
—New Atlas, 10 Aug. 2025
The alleged credit card fraudster had secreted himself away in the mice mascot’s costume, to no avail.
—Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secrete
Cite this Entry
“Secrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secrete. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share