Secrete vs. Secret: What’s the Difference?

  • Secrete

    Secretion is the movement of material from one point to another, e.g. secreted chemical substance from a cell or gland. In contrast, excretion, is the removal of certain substances or waste products from a cell or organism. The classical mechanism of cell secretion is via secretory portals at the cell plasma membrane called porosomes. Porosomes are permanent cup-shaped lipoprotein structure at the cell plasma membrane, where secretory vesicles transiently dock and fuse to release intra-vesicular contents from the cell.

    Secretion in bacterial species means the transport or translocation of effector molecules for example: proteins, enzymes or toxins (such as cholera toxin in pathogenic bacteria for example Vibrio cholerae) from across the interior (cytoplasm or cytosol) of a bacterial cell to its exterior. Secretion is a very important mechanism in bacterial functioning and operation in their natural surrounding environment for adaptation and survival.

Wikipedia
  • Secrete (adjective)

    separated

  • Secrete (verb)

    To extract a substance from blood, sap, or similar to produce and emit waste for excretion or for the fulfilling of a physiological function.

  • Secrete (verb)

    figurative uses

  • Secrete (verb)

    To conceal.

  • Secrete (verb)

    to steal.

    “The royal jewels were secreted away in the middle of the night, sub rosa.”

  • Secret (noun)

    Knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden. from later 14th c.

    “Can you keep a secret? So can I.”

  • Secret (noun)

    Something not understood or known.

  • Secret (noun)

    The genital organs.

  • Secret (adjective)

    Being or kept hidden. from late 14th c.

    “We went down a secret passage.”

  • Secret (adjective)

    Withdrawn from general intercourse or notice; in retirement or secrecy; secluded.

  • Secret (adjective)

    Faithful to a secret; not inclined to divulge or betray confidence; secretive, separate, apart.

  • Secret (adjective)

    Separate; distinct.

  • Secret (verb)

    To make or keep secret. from late 16th c.

  • Secret (verb)

    To hide secretly.

    “He was so scared for his safety he secreted arms around the house.”

Wiktionary
  • Secret (adjective)

    not known or seen or not meant to be known or seen by others

    “how did you guess I’d got a secret plan?”

    “the resupply effort was probably kept secret from Congress”

  • Secret (adjective)

    not meant to be known as such by others

    “a secret drinker”

  • Secret (adjective)

    fond of or good at keeping things about oneself unknown

    “he can be the most secret man”

  • Secret (noun)

    something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others

    “a state secret”

    “at first I tried to keep it a secret from my wife”

  • Secret (noun)

    something that is not properly understood; a mystery

    “I’m not trying to explain the secrets of the universe in this book”

  • Secret (noun)

    a valid but not commonly known or recognized method of achieving or maintaining something

    “the secret of a happy marriage is compromise”

  • Secret (noun)

    a prayer said by the priest in a low voice after the offertory in a Roman Catholic Mass.

Oxford Dictionary

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