Dregs are the unwanted bits that sink to the bottom of a liquid, like the gritty sediment at the bottom of a cup of hot chocolate or the pulpy bits that settle in a glass of orange juice. When you pour out the last bit of liquid from a container, you might find yourself looking at the dregs: thick, murky, and definitely not the part anyone wants to drink.

In brewing and wine-making, spent grains, dead yeast, and other solid bits sink to the bottom of barrels, and smart drinkers learn to leave those dregs alone. The word carries a sense of something leftover, unwanted, or lowest quality. Nobody celebrates getting the dregs of anything.