excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

2

: something excreted

especially : metabolic waste products (such as urea and carbon dioxide) that are eliminated from the body

Examples of excretion in a Sentence

The kidneys are organs of excretion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fiber supports healthy blood lipid levels by decreasing cholesterol absorption and increasing its excretion from the body. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 1 Oct. 2024

Calcium may also increase fat excretion in the stool.7 3. —Lindsey Desoto, Health, 15 July 2024

Animal excretions such as deer musk; castoreum, from beavers; and civet, from the perineal glands of a mammal of the same name, are no longer considered humane. —Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

Fiber decreases cholesterol absorption in the digestive tract and promotes its excretion through the stool. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

the skin and lungs function in excretion

2

: cellular waste (as carbon dioxide and urea) excreted from the body

Medical Definition

excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

2

a

: something eliminated by the process of excretion that is composed chiefly of urine or sweat in mammals including humans and of comparable materials in other animals, characteristically includes products of protein degradation (as urea or uric acid), usually differs from ordinary bodily secretions by lacking any further utility to the organism that produces it, and is distinguished from waste materials (as feces) that have merely passed into or through the digestive tract without being incorporated into the body proper

b

: a waste product (as urine, feces, or vomit) eliminated from an animal body : excrement

—not used technically