cloaca
Zoology.
the common cavity into which the intestinal, urinary, and generative canals open in birds, reptiles, amphibians, many fishes, and certain mammals.
a similar cavity in invertebrates.
a sewer, especially an ancient sewer.
Origin of cloaca
1Other words from cloaca
- clo·a·cal, adjective
- pre·clo·a·cal, adjective
Words Nearby cloaca
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cloaca in a sentence
The dinosaur’s cloaca appears to have a distinct color, which could have been used to signal for mates, as is sometimes the case for birds.
This fossilized butthole gives us a rare window into dinosaur sex | Ellie Shechet | January 20, 2021 | Popular-ScienceHe had discarded his first instinct, which was to hide in the intricate Tetrahyde cloaca.
The Status Civilization | Robert SheckleyThe two Oviducts do not open together into the cloaca, though, as my sections prove, their openings are very close together.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland BalfourEach Wolffian duct ends blindly in front, and the two unite behind to open by a common papilla into the cloaca.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland BalfourThis involution grows backwards in the form of a duct and opens into the cloaca.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
The lower end of the segmental duct unites with a horn of the cloaca.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
British Dictionary definitions for cloaca
/ (kləʊˈeɪkə) /
a cavity in the pelvic region of most vertebrates, except higher mammals, and certain invertebrates, into which the alimentary canal and the genital and urinary ducts open
a sewer
Origin of cloaca
1Derived forms of cloaca
- cloacal, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for cloaca
[ klō-ā′kə ]
The body cavity into which the intestinal, urinary, and genital canals empty in birds, reptiles, amphibians, most fish, and monotremes. The cloaca has an opening for expelling its contents from the body, and in females it serves as the depository for sperm. Also called vent
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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