dross

Dross is defined as worthless waste matter.

(noun)

An example of dross is what is left over after separating reusable, compostable and recyclable items from the garbage.

See dross in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

Origin: ME & OE dros, dregs, akin to dærst & ON dregg, dregs

Related Forms:

See dross in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Waste or impure matter: discarded the dross after recycling the wood pulp.
The scum that forms on the surface of molten metal as a result of oxidation.
Worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter: “He was wide-awake and his mind worked clearly, purged of all dross” (Vladimir Nabokov).

Origin:

Origin: Middle English dros

Origin: , from Old English drōs, dregs

Related Forms: