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
Katia Hetter, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025
Pygmy marmosets use their teeth to gouge holes in trees that secrete gum, or resin—not to be confused with sap, which runs through a tree’s vascular system.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Jan. 2025
Thyroid disease: The thyroid is a gland in the neck that secretes hormones and can affect your metabolism.
—Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 24 Dec. 2024
But the mystery of how explosive material was secreted into the devices appeared to stretch across the globe.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 18 Sep. 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 21 Jan. 2025.
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