secretion
noun
Simple meaning
A functionally specialized substance released from a gland or cell.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suhkreeshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
səkˈɹiʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countable
Any substance that is secreted by an organism.
uncountable
The act of secreting a substance, especially from a gland.
A functionally specialized substance (especially one that is not a waste) released from a gland or cell
The act of hiding something.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any substance that is secreted by an organism.
Used this way, secretion is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use secretion
- “Plants have a natural secretion that protects them from insects.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Substance / secreting
Other combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The secretion of an endocrine gland that is transmitted by the blood to the tissue on which it has a specific effect.
Saline fluid secreted by lacrimal glands.
Saline fluid secreted by lacrimal glands.
Protective secretion of the mucous membranes.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.