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
Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 15 June 2024
Cats also have nine scent glands, located all over their body, including their paws, chin, nose, and the base of their tail.
Cats who give off a nutty scent are secreting pheromones from their Pinna glands, which are just behind their ears.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 5 June 2024
Inflammatory hormones secreted by excess body fat may also constrict the airways.27
Having overweight or obesity can aggravate symptoms of asthma.
—Amanda Gardner, Health, 1 June 2024
The homicide detective who located the guns, which were secreted in backpacks in a bedroom closet, as Knox had said, testified about finding masks and gloves alongside the weapons.
—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 29 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for secrete 
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 30 Jun. 2024.
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