| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| dross |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  dr s, drôs |
| NOUN: | 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). | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English dros, from Old English dr s, dregs. | | OTHER FORMS: | dross y —ADJECTIVE
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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