secretion

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /sɪˈkriʃən/ UK /sɪˈkriːʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the process or product of releasing a substance from a cell or gland

Excessive secretion of the hormone disrupted his metabolism.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the process or product of... discharge emission exudation release

Opposites

absorption

Word family

Derived forms secretional

Related forms secretesecretorysecret

Etymology

From Latin 'secretio(n-)' ('a separation'), from 'secernere' ('to separate, set apart'), from 'se-' ('apart') + 'cernere' ('to sift, separate').

secretio Latin secernere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# secretion

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /sɪˈkriʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /sɪˈkriːʃən/

## Meanings
1. the process or product of releasing a substance from a cell or gland

## Examples
- Excessive secretion of the hormone disrupted his metabolism.

## Synonyms
- discharge
- emission
- exudation
- release

## Antonyms
- absorption

## Derived Forms
- secretional

## Related Forms
- secrete
- secretory
- secret

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: secretio
- Root: secernere

## Etymology
From Latin 'secretio(n-)' ('a separation'), from 'secernere' ('to separate, set apart'), from 'se-' ('apart') + 'cernere' ('to sift, separate').

## AI Etymology
Secretion comes from Latin 'secretio(n-)' ('a separation'), from 'secernere' ('to separate, set apart'), from 'se-' ('apart') + 'cernere' ('to sift, separate'). The historical chain includes Latin secretio and Latin secernere. Older glosses in the chain include "secretio(n-)", "a separation", "secernere", and "to separate, set apart", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, secretion is best read as compound and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the process or product of releasing a substance from a cell or gland". English derivatives include secretional; related forms include secrete, secretory, and secret. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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