dross
/dɹɒs/noun, verb
dross is spelled D-R-O-S-S: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 61,481st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dross means “Residue that forms as a scum on the surface of molten metal from oxidation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dross is drosses.
How many letters and syllables are in dross?
| Letters | 5: D-R-O-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 61,481st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dross?
Dross appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 61,481st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dross?
- UK /dɹɒs/
- British /dɹɔs/
- /dɾɒs/
Dross has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dross.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with dross?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dross from its last stressed vowel (/ɒs/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of dross
- drosses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- drossing participle, present
- drossed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dross mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Residue that forms as a scum on the surface of molten metal from oxidation.
- 2
The impurities in metal.
- 3
A waste product from working with metal.
- 4
Worthless or trivial matter.
- 5
slangResidual raw opium left in an opium pipe which can be recycled for further sale or use.
verb
- 1
To remove dross from.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dross in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Müll, Schrott , Schlacke, Krätze , Abschaum, Schund |
| French | crasse, écume, scorie |
| Portuguese | escória |
| Spanish | escoria |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dross come from?
From Middle English drosse, dros, from Old English drōs, from Proto-Germanic *drōhs (“dregs, sediment”). Also compare Old English drōsna, drōsne (“a ground, sediment, lees, dregs, dirt, ear wax”), from Proto-Germanic *drōhsnǭ, *drōhsnō (“dregs, sediment”), derived from *drōhs. Alternatively, this may be from *dragjō + *-snō (“yeast, sediment”; compare *dragjō (“yeast”)), as if from *drēcg + -sn. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrā́ks (“sediment, yeast”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).