Search the Dictionary

matter separated from the better part; leavings; dregs; refuse. All world's glory is but dross unclean. Spenser. At the devil's booth are all things sold, Each ounce of dross coats its ounce of gold. Lowell.

A slut; a hussy; a drazel. [Obs.] Warner.

Free from dross. Stevens.

Of, pertaining to, resembling, dross; full of dross; impure; worthless. " Drossy gold." Dryden. "Drossy rhymes." Donne. -- Dross"i*ness, n.

mass of wrought iron from the Catalan forge or from the puddling furnace, deprived of its dross, and shaped usually in the form of an oblong block by shingling.

n; as, a crust of snow. I have known the statute of an emperor quite hid under a crust of dross. Addison. Below this icy crust of conformity, the waters of infidelity lay dark and deep as ever. Prescott.

A slut; a vagabond wench. Same as Drossel. [Obs.] Hudibras.

See Drossel. [Obs.]

Figuratively, a worthless thing. And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust. Shak.

ullies or defiles the moral character; corruption; pollution. To purify the soul from the dross and filth of sensual delights. Tillotson. Filth disease (Med.), a disease supposed to be due to pollution of the soil or water.

ntinuously. Raymond. -- Catalan forge. (Metal.) See under Catalan. -- Forge cinder, the dross or slag form a forge or bloomary. -- Forge rolls, Forge train, the train of rolls by which a bloom is converted into puddle bars. -- Forge wagon (Mil.), a wagon fitted up for transporting a blackmith's forge and tools. --…

Removed scum; refuse; dross.

Superfluous matter separated from that which is useful; dross; scoria; as, the recrement of ore.

Of or pertaining to recrement; consisting of recrement or dross. Boyle.

To reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities; to free from dross or alloy; to separate from extraneous matter; to purify; to defecate; as, to refine gold or silver; to refine iron; to refine wine or sugar. I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined. Z…

Corrosive or injurious accretion or influence. Sacred truths cleared from all rust and dross of human mixtures. Eikon Basilike.

The dross of metals.

recrement of metals in fusion, or the slag rejected after the eduction of metallic ores; dross.

r which form on the surface by other means; also, the scoria of metals in a molten state; dross. Some to remove the scum it did rise. Spenser.

Rubbish. Specifically: (a) Dross or refuse of metals. [Obs.]