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
Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2024
The first is to secrete an additional layer of dentin to delay the approaching attack.
—Samer Zaky, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024
As a defense mechanism, ladybugs secrete a substance that can cause painful mouth and stomach ulcers, Watkins says.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024
Joints are wrapped in a capsule of connective tissue that secretes synovial fluid as a lubricant when the joints are moved.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024
Fat cells secrete adiponectin, a protein hormone which improves insulin sensitivity and lowers the risk of atherosclerosis and diabetes.
—Elizabeth Woolley, Verywell Health, 9 Apr. 2024
Stay in one of the park’s cozy cabins, secreted among the tall pines, or nab one of the 59 campsites that put some of Florida’s most pristine white-sand beaches at your doorstep.
—Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024
Before being born, white sharks are sustained by a special substance, called intrauterine milk, that is secreted in their mothers’ uteruses.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024
The mayor of Birmingham, a young Black man named Randall Woodfin, secreted away a Confederate obelisk from Linn Park to an undisclosed location, and gladly accepted the fine—twenty-five thousand dollars—when the state sued Birmingham.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'secrete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near secrete
Cite this Entry
“Secrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secrete. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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