† 1. Pertaining to, or consisting of the dregs or baser part of any substance. Cf. EXCREMENT1 1. Of food: Consisting largely of matter useless for nutrition. Obs.
1576. Baker, Jewell of Health, 193 a. Vitrioll containeth much of the waterie and excrementall moysture in it.
1600. Tourneur, Transf. Met., xxvi. B vij. And since the flesh the soules imprisoner, Of excrementall earth is wholy fact.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 525. Swines flesh … is lesse excremental then Pigs flesh, and therefore more nutrible.
1620. Venner, Via Recta (1650), 85. They have in their flesh much moist and excrementall juyce.
1655. Moufet & Bennet, Health’s Improv. (1746), 183. A Cuckow, whose much spitting argueth a corrupt and excremental Flesh.
1662. R. Mathew, Unl. Alch., § 110. 192. To take a few grains of the excremental parts, out of an ounce of the substantial parts.
2. Of the nature of excrement or evacuated matter.
1574. Newton, Health Mag., C i b. The filth and excrementall matter of the bodie is thereby [by exercise] scattered and auoyded.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., II. vii. (ed. 3), 81. Whether those little dusty particles, upon the lower side of the leaves, be seeds and seminal parts; or rather … excremental separations; we have not been able to determine.
1878. M. Foster, Physiol., II. i. § 1. 183. The nutritious digested material is separated from the indigested or excremental material.
b. fig. (cf. EXCREMENT1 3).
1591. Greene, Disc. Coosnage (1859), 40. Vipers of the world, and an excrementall reversion of sin.
1593. Nashe, Christ’s T. (1613), 159. In a damnable state are you, O ye excrementall vessels of lust.
3. Pertaining to or consisting of excrements; concerned with or proceeding from excrements.
1599. A. M., trans. Gabelhouer’s Bk. Physicke, 139/2. When any man his excrementalle intestine issueth out.
1624. Donne, Serm., xvii. (1640), 164 A. He that lies in the spitting places, and excrementall corners of the streets.
1762. Lloyd, Genius, Envy & Time, 97. Mere excremental maggots, bred In poets topsy-turvy head.
1875. W. Houghton, Sk. Brit. Insects, 115. Besides excremental food they prey on insects.
1884. Boston (Mass.) Jrnl., 15 Nov., 2/4. In excremental contaminations especially lies the greatest risk [of cholera poison].
