dregs
dregs Lexical Profile
dregs Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The remnants of a liquid left with its solid sediment at the bottom of a container, such as coffee grounds or wine lees.
"He finished his cup of Turkish coffee, careful not to swallow the bitter dregs at the bottom."
The most worthless, undesirable, or disreputable part of something, especially of a group or society.
"The tavern near the docks had a reputation for attracting the dregs of the port's underworld."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Dregs" is used almost exclusively in the plural form and takes a plural verb (e.g., "the dregs are left behind"); the singular "dreg" is rare except in fixed expressions like "not a dreg."
• Rhymes for dregs
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Old Norse dregg (typically used in the plural dreggjar, meaning "yeast" or "lees"), from Proto-Germanic *dragjō ("sediment").