orifice

[ awr-uh-fis, or- ]

See synonyms for orifice on Thesaurus.com

noun

an opening or aperture, as of a tube or pipe; a mouthlike opening or hole; mouth; vent.

Origin of orifice

1535–45; <Middle French <Late Latin ōrificium, equivalent to Latin ōr- (stem of ōs) mouth + -i--i- + -fic-, combining form of facere to make, do¹ (see -fic) + -ium noun suffix

Other words from orifice

or·i·fi·cial [awr-uh-fish-uhl, or-], /ˌɔr əˈfɪʃ əl, ˌɒr-/, adjective

Words that may be confused with orifice

office, orifice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use orifice in a sentence

The former genus possesses an upright orificial tubule and has zoœcia separated by basal tubules.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa | Nelson Annandale
Osteopathic journals have made much of an article written by a famous “orificial surgeon.”
Quacks and Grafters | Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for orifice

orifice

/ (ˈɒrɪfɪs) /

noun

mainly Technical an opening or mouth into a cavity; vent; aperture

Origin of orifice

C16: via French from Late Latin ōrificium, from Latin ōs mouth + facere to make

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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