dregs / dregz/ • n. the remnants of a liquid left in a container, together with any sediment or grounds: coffee dregs. ∎ fig. the most worthless part or parts of something: the dregs of society.DERIVATIVES: dreg·gy / ˈdregē/ adj.

Dregs

refuse; rubbish; lowest form of human life; anything thrown away—Johnson, 1755.

Examples: dregs of conscience, 1597; of disease, 1639; of noble doctrines, 1531; of fanatics, 1761; of the measles, 1824; of nature, 1675; of ancient night, 1719; of oil, 1440; of the population, 1867; of refuse, 1531; of Romish superstition, 1789; of tar, 1752; of time, 1685; of wine, 1870; of the world, 1546.