Dictionary

dregs en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• drĕgs
• (US) audio
• /dɹɛɡz/

Etymology

See dreg.

Meanings

1. (plural, plural-normally) The sediment settled at the bottom of a liquid; the lees in a container of unfiltered wine.
   • Yet even now I had not drunk the bitter potion to the dregs; I was not yet persuaded of my loss; I did not yet feel in every pulsation, in every nerve, in every thought, that I remained alone of my race - that I was The Last Man. 1826, [Mary Shelley], chapter IX, in The Last Man. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC:
   • And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth / Throughout the fluid mass; but downward purged / The black tartareous cold infernal dregs 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC:
   • The fire is out, and spent the warmth thereof, / This is the end of every song man sings! / The golden wine is drunk, the dregs remain, / Bitter as wormwood and as salt as pain c. 1897, Ernest Dowson, Dregs:
   • For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red: it is full of mixture, and he powreth out of the same: but the dregges thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drinke them. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 75:8:
2. (figuratively, plural, plural-normally, qualifier:the dregs) The worst and lowest part of something.
   • the dregs of society
   • If at any one time of my life more than another, I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery, that time was during the first six months of my stay with Mr. Covey. 1846 [1845], Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Boston: Anti-Slavery Office:
   • […] he said to himself that in the last hour he had sounded the depths of his humiliation and that the lowest dregs of it, the very bottom-slime, was the hateful necessity of having always, as long as the two men lived, to be civil to Barton Flamel. 1900, Edith Wharton, chapter V, in The Touchstone, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons:
   • I sat through the dregs of a long hectic evening.

Forms

Deriveds

tofu dregs

Synonyms

trub · sediment · grouts · exuviate · loser · rabble · residuum · settling · residue · refuse · trash · lees · feculence · dross · debris · riffraff · draff · scum · outcast · deposit · grounds · rubbish · orts

Translations (144)

cmn 渣滓 (the worst and lowest) · ru отре́бье (the worst and lowest) · ckb تِڵپە (settled sediment) · ru муть (settled sediment) · id ampas (settled sediment) · el κατακάθι (settled sediment) · de Niederschlag (settled sediment) · eo feĉo (the worst and lowest) · hi तलछट (settled sediment) · pt borra (settled sediment) · sc fexi (settled sediment) · es hez (the worst and lowest) · sv drägg (settled sediment) · hy տականք (settled sediment) · sc feghe (settled sediment) · mi waipara (settled sediment) · cs spodina (the worst and lowest) · kpv неджӧг (settled sediment) · es culín (settled sediment) · ga amhaisc (settled sediment) · ca pòsit (settled sediment) · da bærme (the worst and lowest) · he מִשְׁקָע (settled sediment) · sh talog (settled sediment) · fi pohjasakka (the worst and lowest) · es concho (settled sediment) · it sedimento (settled sediment) · es mugre (the worst and lowest) · mi whaipara (settled sediment) · uk гу́ща (settled sediment) · nl bezinksel (settled sediment) · ga moirt (settled sediment) · cy gwaelodion (settled sediment) · lv duļķes (settled sediment) · cy gwaelodion (the worst and lowest) · cy gwaddod (settled sediment) · fr lie (the worst and lowest) · mrj ӹрвӹнзӹк (settled sediment) · ro zaț (settled sediment) · de Bodensatz (settled sediment) · grc τρύξ (settled sediment) · izh rapa (settled sediment) · sv avskum (the worst and lowest) · de Satz (settled sediment) · sv drägg (the worst and lowest) · eo feĉo (settled sediment) · tg таҳшин (settled sediment) · ru отсто́й (settled sediment) · vi cặn bã (the worst and lowest) · cs kal (settled sediment) · is botnfall (settled sediment) · gd drabhas (settled sediment) · mhr шундем (settled sediment) · nl drab (settled sediment) · ar تُفْل (settled sediment) · nl droesem (settled sediment) · de Sediment (settled sediment) · gag çöküntü (settled sediment) · fr lie (settled sediment) · pl szumowiny (the worst and lowest) · es poso (settled sediment) · ota تلوه (settled sediment) · cv лӗкӗ (settled sediment) · ckb تِڵف (settled sediment) · sdh سِڵپ (settled sediment) · cy gwaddod (the worst and lowest) · cs vyvrhel (the worst and lowest) · ro drojdie (settled sediment) · ckb تِڵتە (settled sediment) · sc feche (settled sediment) · ckb تِڵپ (settled sediment) · hy դիրտ (settled sediment) · ka ცხიმოვანი ნარჩენები (settled sediment) · ru отбро́сы (the worst and lowest) · da bundfald (the worst and lowest) · pl męty (the worst and lowest) · da bundfald (settled sediment) · xal шавхр (settled sediment) · gl borra (settled sediment) · de Dreck (the worst and lowest) · ca solatge (settled sediment) · eo aĉuloj (the worst and lowest) · hy տականք (the worst and lowest) · es depósito (settled sediment) · mrj рӹвӹнзӹк (settled sediment) · mhr шундык (settled sediment) · udm пыды (settled sediment) · grc σκύβαλον (the worst and lowest) · fi roskajoukko (the worst and lowest) · mhr румбык (settled sediment) · de Feststoff (settled sediment) · pl osad (settled sediment) · bg ута́йка (settled sediment) · es hez (settled sediment) · is sori (the worst and lowest) · es escoria (the worst and lowest) · ru отбро́сы (settled sediment) · la faex (settled sediment) · is dreggjar (settled sediment) · mhr куча (settled sediment) · hy նստվածք (settled sediment) · la faex (the worst and lowest) · sv bottensats (settled sediment) · kpv гудыр (settled sediment) · fa درد (settled sediment) · ru подо́нки (the worst and lowest) · de Abschaum (the worst and lowest) · kpv пуксьӧм (settled sediment) · ga dríodar (settled sediment) · cy sorod (settled sediment) · es heces (settled sediment) · gd druaip (settled sediment) · pl fusy (settled sediment) · ru гу́ща (settled sediment) · cs lůza (the worst and lowest) · gd grùid (settled sediment) · yi הושטשע (settled sediment) · udm маял (settled sediment) · ro sediment (settled sediment) · ar حُثالَة (the worst and lowest) · cy sorod (the worst and lowest) · fi porot (settled sediment) · ru оса́док (settled sediment) · pt escória (the worst and lowest) · vi cặn (settled sediment) · la sentina (the worst and lowest) · sc fexa (settled sediment) · hy մրուր (settled sediment) · fi sakka (settled sediment) · udm напра (settled sediment) · fi roskaväki (the worst and lowest) · tg дурда (settled sediment) · tl laro (settled sediment) · fa لرد (settled sediment) · is úrhrak (the worst and lowest) · eo aĉoj (the worst and lowest) · cs sedlina (settled sediment) · tg шитта (settled sediment) · af afsaksel (settled sediment) · ga gríodán (settled sediment) · ro drojdie (the worst and lowest) · it feccia (the worst and lowest) · sv bottenskrap (the worst and lowest) · cs usazenina (settled sediment)