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
Amaia Gavica,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
For decades, scientists believed this renewal depended heavily on fibroblasts, a class of supportive cells nestled in the deeper layer of the skin that secrete growth-promoting molecules and build the structural scaffolding that holds tissue together.
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Peter Jurich,
Hartford Courant,
22 June 2026
But the new study takes things further – by engineering in an extra molecule for the worm to secrete.
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Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
18 June 2026
The maggots are thought to secrete various antibacterial compounds to ward off pathogenic bacteria and block biofilms from forming, overall preventing secondary infection.
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Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for secrete
Cite this Entry
“Secrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secrete. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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