secrete
Hide or discharge
Secrete has two distinct meanings.
One is to produce and release a substance from a cell or gland: The pancreas secretes insulin.
The other is to hide something away: She secreted the documents in a false drawer.
The biological sense dominates in scientific and medical contexts; the hiding sense appears in literary or formal writing.
Discharge gradually through pores
drip · leak · seep · weep · sweat · transude · effuse · percolate
Body's chemical messenger
- endocrineInternally secreting gland system
- pituitaryBrain-base hormone gland
- thyroidHormone-producing neck gland
- adrenalNear the kidneys
pancreas · insulin · estrogen · testosterone · cortisol · adrenaline · melatonin · prolactin
exude
Discharge gradually through pores
expel · drip · leak · seep · weep · sweat · transude · effuse · percolate · produce
hormone
Body's chemical messenger
- endocrineInternally secreting gland system
- pituitaryBrain-base hormone gland
- thyroidHormone-producing neck gland
adrenal · pancreas · insulin · estrogen · testosterone · cortisol · adrenaline · melatonin · prolactin · glucagon
stash
Hidden reserve
smuggle · tuck away · ensconce · shelter · hoard · bury · harbor · safeguard · deposit · closet
mucus
Protective bodily secretion
- antibodiesProteins targeting pathogens
- venomInjected animal poison
- toxinBiological-origin harm agent
ink · musk · pheromone · slime · poison · spray · antimicrobial · repellent · noxious · irritant
- top secretHighest classification level
- secret agentClandestine government operative
- secret codeEncrypted communication system
- dark secretConcealed shameful knowledge
- dirty secretConcealed shameful information
- open secretKnown fact nobody admits
secret, secrecy, secretive, secretary, secretion, secreted, secretes, secreting