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
William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The long-acting amylin analogue which works by mimicking a hormone that is co-secreted with insulin in the pancreas to increase satiety.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Along with the swamp eels, scientists in the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center have been most concerned about the spread of Cuban tree frogs, which secrete noxious chemicals that are harmful to humans, and alligatorweed, which clogs waterways that can impact infrastructure.
—Wesley Bruer, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Some plants secrete a sweet substance from nectaries, or nectar glands.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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