Standard Lemma guide

excretion

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪkˈskɹiːʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ɪkˈskɹiʃən/
  • Australian: /ɪkˈskɹiːʃən/
  • New-Zealand: /əkˈskɹiːʃən/
  • rhymes with -iːʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 K S K R IY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The process of removing or ejecting material that has no further utility, especially from the body; the act of excreting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something excreted in that manner, especially urine or feces.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excrement, excretum

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the bodily process of discharging waste matter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: elimination, evacuation, excreting, voiding

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discharge, emission, expelling

Narrower terms: defecation, laxation, shitting, incontinence, incontinency, micturition, urination

4

noun

Meaning 4

waste matter (as urine or sweat but especially feces) discharged from the body

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: body waste, excreta, excrement, excretory product

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: waste, waste material, waste matter, waste product

Narrower terms: fecal matter, faecal matter, feces, faeces, BM, stool, ordure, dejection, fecula, wormcast, human waste, urine, piss, pee, piddle, weewee, water, vomit, vomitus, puke, barf, guano

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French excrétion, or Late Latin excretio, excretionis, from Latin excerno.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: uitskeiding — process of removing from the body
  • Bengali: রেচন (recon) — process of removing from the body
  • Bulgarian: отделяне (otdeljane) — process of removing from the body
  • Catalan: excreció — process of removing from the body
  • Chinese Cantonese: 排泄 (paai4 sit3) — process of removing from the body
  • Chinese: 排泄 (pâi-siat) — process of removing from the body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 排泄 (páixiè) — process of removing from the body
  • Czech: vylučování — process of removing from the body
  • Danish: udskilning — process of removing from the body
  • Dutch: excretie — process of removing from the body
  • Dutch: uitscheiding — process of removing from the body
  • Finnish: eritys — process of removing from the body
  • Finnish: erittäminen — process of removing from the body
  • French: excrétion — process of removing from the body
  • Galician: excreción — process of removing from the body
  • German: Ausscheidung — process of removing from the body
  • German: Exkretion — process of removing from the body
  • Greek: απέκκριση (apékkrisi) — process of removing from the body
  • Hindi: उत्सर्जन (utsarjan) — process of removing from the body
  • Indonesian: ekskresi — process of removing from the body
  • Irish: fearadh — process of removing from the body
  • Italian: escrezione — process of removing from the body
  • Japanese: 排泄 (haisetsu) — process of removing from the body
  • Korean: 배설 (baeseol) — process of removing from the body
  • Northern Kurdish: deravêtin — process of removing from the body
  • Latin: excretio — process of removing from the body
  • Malay: perkumuhan — process of removing from the body
  • Persian: دفع — process of removing from the body
  • Polish: wydalanie — process of removing from the body
  • Polish: ekskrecja — process of removing from the body
  • Portuguese: excreção — process of removing from the body
  • Russian: выделе́ние (vydelénije) — process of removing from the body
  • Russian: экскре́ция (ekskrécija) — process of removing from the body
  • Spanish: excreción — process of removing from the body
  • Spanish: emunción — process of removing from the body
  • Tagalog: paluwasan — process of removing from the body
  • Tagalog: ekskresyon — process of removing from the body
  • Tamil: கழிப்பு (kaḻippu) — process of removing from the body
  • Telugu: విసర్జన (visarjana) — process of removing from the body
  • Thai: การขับถ่าย — process of removing from the body
  • Turkish: boşaltım — process of removing from the body
  • Turkish: ifrağ — process of removing from the body
  • Vietnamese: bài tiết — process of removing from the body