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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
dross
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ In other words, our enriched material is more than half dross.
▪ In places the dross almost brushed the roof.
▪ Masterpieces of compression, they resonate with the concentrated power that can create diamonds from dross.
▪ Pupils here in the fifth year are generally thought to be dross.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Dross

Dross \Dross\ (dr[o^]s; 115), n. [AS. dros, fr. dre['o]san to fall. See Dreary.]

  1. The scum or refuse matter which is thrown off, or falls from, metals in smelting the ore, or in the process of melting; recrement.

  2. Rust of metals. [R.]
    --Addison.

  3. Waste matter; any worthless 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.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
dross

"dirt, dregs," Old English dros "the scum thrown off from metals in smelting," from Proto-Germanic *drohs- (cognates: Middle Dutch droes, Dutch droesem, Middle Low German dros, Old High German truosana, German Drusen "dregs, husks"), from PIE dher- (1) "to make muddy." Meaning "refuse, rubbish" is mid-15c.

Wiktionary
dross

n. 1 waste or impure matter 2 Worthless or trivial matter 3 Residue that forms on the surface of a metal from oxidation 4 The impurities in metal 5 A waste product from working with metal vb. (context transitive English) To remove dross from.

WordNet
dross
  1. n. worthless material that should be removed; "there were impurities in the water" [syn: impurity]

  2. the scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals [syn: slag, scoria]

Wikipedia
Dross

Dross is a mass of solid impurities floating on a molten metal or dispersed in the metal, such as in wrought iron. It forms on the surface of low- melting-point metals such as tin, lead, zinc or aluminium or alloys by oxidation of the metal. For higher melting point metals such as steel, oxidized impurities melt and float making them easy to pour off.

With wrought iron, hammering and later rolling removed some dross. With tin and lead the dross can be removed by adding sodium hydroxide pellets, which dissolve the oxides and form a slag. If floating, dross can also be skimmed off.

Dross, as a solid, is distinguished from slag, which is a liquid. Dross product is not entirely waste material; for example, aluminium dross can be recycled and is used in secondary steelmaking for slag deoxidation.

Droß

Droß is a municipality in the district of Krems-Land, Lower Austria, Austria.

Usage examples of "dross".

Next he had been a Chief Geologist, chairborne director of youngsters, now and then tackling a muddled report with Theory of Least Squares and Gibbs Phase Rule that magically separated dross from limpid fact .

And the man and the woman, like all things else in the landscape, were suffused in this still, Parnassian, penetrating brilliancy, which ought to make even a miser feel that his hoarded eagles and sovereigns are ephemeral dross.

Calculus racked him: Leaden before, his eyes grew dross of lead: Tussis attacked him.

Enter by the door into the sheepfold Sell all to purchase the pearl of great price Count all things dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ Let Him not go till He blesses you with that faith which justifies, and that sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord And, soon transported from this vale of tears into the mansions of the just made perfect, you shall cast your crown of immortal glory at the feet of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and before the Lamb who has redeemed us by His blood: to whom be the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and the power for ever and ever!

Beneath those marble cenotaphs and urns Lies richer dust than ever nature hid Packed in the mountain's adamantine heart, Or slyly wrapt in unsuspected sand-- The dross men toil for, and oft stain the soul.

I waste no more words with thee—choose between thy dross and thy flesh and blood, and as thou choosest, so shall it be.

These feces were seperated partly by the water, and are the dross and terra damnata, which is of no value, nor can do any such service as the clear, white, pure and clear matter, which is wholly and only to be taken and made use of.

Believe me, he wouldn't even register if you introduced yourself as Herr Drosser with a Van Gogh under each arm.

IT WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO CIS-LUNAR SPACE EMPLOYING A SMALL PART OF THE DROSS AS REACTION MASS FOR LOW-THRUST ION PROPULSION UNITS.

With a spatula Khalid carefully skimmed off the remaining dross, and there at the bottom of the bowl lay a cooling mass of liquid gold.

My uncle's house was a few streets over from the Menagerie, um, that was where the dross of Etjillos was dumped, I would see the dead vans clanking past after the meatmen collected the corpses off the streets.

Yet mankind for ever doubts, quirks, and for every pleasure pays, till he becomes millionary: the punishment shall fit the appraisement of his capitalization, there is that fear] The rich in dross, to cheat his conscience, affects humility, speaks of himself as "poor," his possessions as "burdens," or of "small account"] Of what consolation the truth in the day of weary waiting and watching, the restless striving, the imprisonment, the rack, the horrors of every conceivable torture?

And he'd let her show him, let her tell him, what she'd found-a bronze rod that turned noble metal to dross, an amulet of uncertain value, a rusted knife whose edge could be coaxed to life.

We shall stand firm, and our nation shall be purged of dross in the pure fire of self-sacrifice.

Boys shook these to sift out powdered ore, then mixed it with water, salt, and the dross from copper-making to produce a sticky clay.