English Dictionary

BY-PRODUCT

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does by-product mean? 

BY-PRODUCT (noun)
  The noun BY-PRODUCT has 2 senses:

1. a secondary and sometimes unexpected consequenceplay

2. a product made during the manufacture of something elseplay

  Familiarity information: BY-PRODUCT used as a noun is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


BY-PRODUCT (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

A secondary and sometimes unexpected consequence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

by-product; byproduct

Hypernyms ("by-product" is a kind of...):

consequence; effect; event; issue; outcome; result; upshot (a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "by-product"):

epiphenomenon (a secondary phenomenon that is a by-product of another phenomenon)


Sense 2

Meaning:

A product made during the manufacture of something else

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

by-product; byproduct; spin-off

Hypernyms ("by-product" is a kind of...):

product; production (an artifact that has been created by someone or some process)


 Context examples 


A dark brown or black thick liquid obtained by roasting pine wood or formed as a by-product in the production of coke.

(Coal Tar, NCI Thesaurus)

C. testosteroni is found in soil and water, is used in industry to breakdown industrial by-products, and is rarely found to be pathogenic in humans.

(Comamonas testosteroni, NCI Thesaurus)

By-products of both normal cell processes and environmental toxin exposure, oxygen free-radicals in high concentrations may damage DNA, proteins, and lipids, thereby increasing the risk for various diseases including cancer.

(Free radical, NCI Thesaurus)

Hazardous waste is also a by-product of manufacturing.

(Hazardous Waste, Environmental Protection Agency)

Subsequently, L-arginine is converted to nitric oxide by nitric oxide synthase and L-citrulline is regenerated as a by-product.

(Citrulline, NCI Thesaurus)

This substance is also found as a by-product in chlorinated water.

(Bromodichloromethane, NCI Thesaurus)

Plants also grew much better in salty soil, a by-product of drought, the researchers found.

(Grafting helps pepper plants deal with drought, SciDev.Net)

The movement of the throat when males are calling could constitute a visual signal, in which case the call itself would represent a by-product of the true signaling behavior.

(Tiny Brazilian Frogs Deaf to Own Calls, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis when the water absorbed by plants is ‘split’.

(Scientists pioneer a new way to turn sunlight into fuel, University of Cambridge)

Organic molecules are a food source for microbes in the lake sediments, which break them down and release carbon dioxide and methane as by-products.

(Climate change could double greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater ecosystems, University of Cambridge)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"It pays to pay attention." (English proverb)

"Pity without help does little good" (Breton proverb)

"My friends are like stars, pick one and it'll guide you." (Arabic proverb)

"Every guest is welcome for three days." (Croatian proverb)



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