secretion

noun

se·​cre·​tion si-ˈkrē-shən 

1

a

: the process of segregating, elaborating, and releasing some material either functionally specialized (such as saliva) or isolated for excretion (such as urine)

b

: a product of secretion formed by an animal or plant

especially : one performing a specific useful function in the organism

2

[secrete entry 2] : the act of hiding something : concealment

secretionary

si-ˈkrē-shə-ˌner-ē 

adjective

Synonyms of secretion

• stashing
• hiding
• concealment
• caching

Examples of secretion in a Sentence

the secretion of stomach acids

root secretions that repel insects

Recent Examples on the Web

The primary effect of vitamin D is to improve the secretion of insulin by beta-cells in the pancreas, according to Anastassios Pittas, MD, senior author of the study and codirector of the Diabetes Clinic at Tufts Medicine. —Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 8 Jan. 2026

Weight loss drugs mimic the action of this hormone by increasing the secretion of insulin to lower blood sugar. —Jack Guy, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026

The authors surmise that the ancient humans who made these arrowheads used secretions from the bulbs of Boophone disticha, an Amaryllidaceae species that is well known to have been used for centuries as an arrow poison . —Kate Wong, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026

In the early 2000s, Jimo Borjigin, a physiologist and neuroscientist at the University of Michigan who studied circadian rhythms, and in particular, melatonin secretion in animals,, made a curious discovery. —Hazlitt, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French sécrétion, from Latin secretion-, secretio separation, from secernere to separate — more at secret

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing secretion

• hyper-secretion
• internal secretion

Rhymes for secretion

• accretion
• completion
• concretion
• deletion
• depletion
• excretion
• repletion
• carburetion
• grecian
• hypersecretion

Kids Definition

secretion

noun

se·​cre·​tion si-ˈkrē-shən 

1

a

: the process of giving off a substance (as saliva)

b

: a substance produced and given off by a gland

especially : one (as an enzyme) that performs a specific useful function in the body

2

: concealment sense 1

Medical Definition

secretion

noun

se·​cre·​tion si-ˈkrē-shən 

1

: the process of segregating, elaborating, and releasing some material either functionally specialized (as saliva) or isolated for excretion (as urine)

2

: a product of secretion formed by an animal or plant

especially : one performing a specific useful function in the organism