escoria

slag; scum; dregs

noun ehs-KOH-ryah Rare

Origin: From Latin scoria, from Greek skōría.

Also means

riffraff

Usage Note

Escoria in metallurgy is the waste slag left after smelting metal. Figuratively, la escoria de la sociedad is a harsh insult meaning 'the dregs of society.' The word is always feminine and has an irregular-looking ending (-ia) that is simply part of the Latin stem, not a diminutive.

Examples

"La escoria del metal se separó del hierro puro."

Natural Translation

The slag separated from the pure iron.

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