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drosses

 - 2 dictionary results

dross

[draws, dros]
–noun
1. waste matter; refuse.
2. Metallurgy. a waste product taken off molten metal during smelting, essentially metallic in character.
3. British. coal of little value.

Origin:
bef. 1050; ME dros(se), OE drōs; c. MD droes dregs; cf. ME drōsen, OE drōsna; c. MHG truosen husks
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dross   (drŏs, drôs)   
n.  
  1. Waste or impure matter: discarded the dross after recycling the wood pulp.

  2. The scum that forms on the surface of molten metal as a result of oxidation.

  3. Worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter: "He was wide-awake and his mind worked clearly, purged of all dross" (Vladimir Nabokov).


[Middle English dros, from Old English drōs, dregs.]
dross'y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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