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
New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2024
Oil glands, or sebaceous glands, are usually connected to hair follicles and secrete an oily substance called sebum that moisturizes your skin and hair.
—Carley Millhone, Health, 19 Oct. 2024
The grand jury accused Whiting of misuse of public monies, theft, conflict of interest, harassment, sending a threatening letter and stealing, destroying, altering or secreting public records.
—Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024
These toads secrete a potent toxin from glands located just behind their heads, which can be lethal to would-be predators.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for secrete 
Dictionary Entries Near secrete
Cite this Entry
“Secrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secrete. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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