dross

Meanings

Noun

• Waste or impure matter.
• Residue that forms on the surface of molten metal from oxidation.
• The impurities in metal.
• A waste product from working with metal.
• Worthless or trivial matter.

Verb

• To remove dross from.

Origin

• , from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrā́ks ("sediment, yeast"). Cognate with Scots dros, drose, drosse, Middle Dutch droes ("dregs"), Dutch droesem ("dregs"), German Drusen ("lees, dregs"), Latin fracēs ("grounds or dregs of oil"). Related also to drast, dregs.