excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

2

: something excreted

especially : metabolic waste products (such as urea and carbon dioxide) that are eliminated from the body

Examples of excretion in a Sentence

The kidneys are organs of excretion.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fiber in lima beans can lower cholesterol levels by decreasing cholesterol absorption in the digestive tract and increasing its excretion in the stool. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 2 Sep. 2024

Blood is filtered in the kidneys, where waste material is removed from plasma for excretion from the body. —Gagandeep Brar, Verywell Health, 15 Aug. 2024

So not exactly sink-sized amounts of nasal excretion, nor coffee cup size even. —Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 9 Aug. 2024

Note that while the mask isn't vegan, the snail mucin within is obtained by harvesting the snails' natural excretions. —Deanna Pai, Vogue, 9 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

the skin and lungs function in excretion

2

: cellular waste (as carbon dioxide and urea) excreted from the body

Medical Definition

excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

2

a

: something eliminated by the process of excretion that is composed chiefly of urine or sweat in mammals including humans and of comparable materials in other animals, characteristically includes products of protein degradation (as urea or uric acid), usually differs from ordinary bodily secretions by lacking any further utility to the organism that produces it, and is distinguished from waste materials (as feces) that have merely passed into or through the digestive tract without being incorporated into the body proper

b

: a waste product (as urine, feces, or vomit) eliminated from an animal body : excrement

—not used technically