I. ˈdräs, ˈdrȯs noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English dros, drosse, from Old English drōs filth, dregs, sediment; akin to Old English drōsna, drōsne filth, dregs, sediment, Old High German truosana dregs, lees, Old Norse dregg dreg — more at dreg
1. : the solid scum that forms on the surface of a metal (as lead, antimony) when molten or melting largely as a result of oxidation but sometimes of the rising of dirt and impurities to the surface
2. : waste or foreign matter mixed with a substance or left as a residue after that substance has been used or processed : impurity
every bushel of corn contains a quantity of dross
3. : something that is base, gross, or commonplace
the riches of this world are mere dross
: the base, unworthy, or trivial part or element in something that is otherwise good or admirable
less dross in Hamlet than in other Shakespeare plays — G.W.Stone
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
1. : to make dross of (lead) : convert into massicot by calcining
2. : to free from dross