defecate
defecate Lexical Profile
defecate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To discharge solid waste or feces from the bowels.
"The veterinarian asked whether the dog had been able to eat and defecate normally after the surgery."
To clear of dregs, impurities, or sediment; to refine or purify (especially in chemical or sugar-refining processes).
"In traditional sugar manufacturing, lime and heat are applied to defecate the raw cane juice before evaporation."
Word Nuance & Usage
Primarily used in medical, veterinary, or formal contexts as a polite, clinical term for passing solid waste, contrasting with informal or vulgar everyday equivalents.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'defaecatus', the past participle of 'defaecare', meaning 'to cleanse from dregs or purify' (from 'de-' meaning 'off' and 'faex' meaning 'dregs or sediment'); the modern physiological sense of voiding excrement developed in the 19th century.