Dregs
/drɛɡz/noun
The sediment or residue that settles at the bottom of a liquid or container.
Did you know?In older English, dregs could refer not just to sediment in a drink but to the lowest or most worthless remainder of anything, which is why the phrase “the dregs of society” feels so bleak.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dhregh-
“to drag, draw, pull along”
Old English
OE
dræst
“dregs, sediment, refuse”
Middle English
ME
dregges
“sediment, lees, residue”
Modern English
English
dregs
“the sediment or residue left at the bottom of a liquid; the least desirable part of something”