waste matter
- noun
- /weɪst ˈmætər/
:
materia de desecho
- We need to ensure that the waste matter from the factory is treated before being released into the environment.
Our stool eliminates not just waste matter, but toxins.
- Our stool eliminates not just waste matter, but toxins.
Examples
-
Animals and plants live on each other and on each other's waste matter.
Academic text (1994) -
The solid waste matter in the human intestinal system lacks certain nutritional elements it requires.
Fiction book (1999) -
The city is working to properly dispose of the waste matter from the sewage treatment plant.
-
After the harvest, farmers often find waste matter left in the fields that must be cleared away.
Synonyms
536
1.0
Material that people throw away after use, like food or packaging
444
1.0
Things people throw away because they are unwanted
302
4.1
Scattered broken pieces left after something is destroyed
296
1.0
Unwanted food and other waste from a home or kitchen that you throw away
22
1.0
Things people throw away because they are not wanted
14
1.7
A thing that is useless and not worth keeping
11
4.7
Something thought to be worthless or of very low quality
9
8.2
Loose bits of waste and broken things left after damage or natural events
7
2.9
A thing made and thrown away by a factory, machine, or body
4
9.6
Waste material that forms on the surface of melted metal and is removed
3
3.9
An item that someone has thrown away because they no longer want it
2
2.6
Things like old or broken items that are thrown away
An item that people throw away because they do not want it
Small pieces of rubbish left behind in a place
Antonyms
How Useful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'unwanted or unusable material' is directly derivable from combining 'waste' (refuse) with 'matter' (physical substance), so a learner who knows both words can infer the compound's meaning. This is a straightforward noun–noun compositional pattern found across languages and follows normal English compounding, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.
Etymology
Waste matter comes from two simple words: waste meaning 'things to throw away' and matter meaning 'material' or 'stuff'. The image of unwanted material being rejected or thrown away is why it means 'unwanted or unusable material' today.