Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dross

/dɹɔs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.37 in modern English

Syllables
dross
IPA
/dɹɔs/
6
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Waste or impure matter.

Uncountable

noun

Waste or impure matter.

Uncountable

noun

Waste or impure matter.

Uncountable

noun

Worthless or trivial matter.

Uncountable

noun

Residual raw opium left in an opium pipe which can be recycled for further sale or use.

Slang; Uncountable

verb

To remove dross from.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English drosse, dros, from Old English drōs, from Proto-Germanic *drōhs (“dregs, sediment”). Also compare Old English drōsna, drōsne (“a ground, sediment, lees, dregs, dirt, ear wax”), from Proto-Germanic *drōhsnǭ, *drōhsnō (“dregs, sediment”), derived from *drōhs. Alternatively, this may be from *dragjō + *-snō (“yeast, sediment”; compare *dragjō (“yeast”)), as if from *drēcg + -sn. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrā́ks (“sediment, yeast”). Cognate with Scots dros, drose, drosse (“small particles, fragments, dross”), Middle Dutch droes (“dregs”), Dutch droesem (“dregs”), German Drusen (“lees, dregs”), Latin fracēs (“grounds or dregs of oil”). Related also to drast, dregs.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: drosse, drōs, *drōhs, drōsna, *drōhsnǭ, *dʰrā́ks
  • Suffix: *dragjō, *drēcg

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /dɹɔs/
  • British English: /dɹɒs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce dross?
The recorded pronunciation is /dɹɔs/.
What does dross mean?
Waste or impure matter.
Where does dross come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce dross

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dross”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɹɔs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dross”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “dross” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.