emunctory

[ ih-muhngk-tuh-ree ]

/ ɪˈmʌŋk tə ri /

Physiology

noun, plural e·munc·to·ries.

a part or organ of the body, as the skin or a kidney, that functions in carrying off waste products.

adjective

excretory.

Nearby words

emuls., emulsifier, emulsify, emulsion, emulsoid, emunctory, emv, en, en ami, en attendant, en bloc

Origin of emunctory

1535–45; < New Latin ēmunctōrium (noun), ēmunctōrius (adj.), equivalent to Latin ēmung(ere) to wipe one's nose (ē- e-¹ + -mungere, akin to mūcus mucus) + -tōrium -tory², -tōrius -tory¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for emunctory

Emunctory, e-mungk′tor-i, n. an organ of the body that carries off waste: an excretory duct.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
A nose is "the prominence on the face which is the organ of scent, and the emunctory of the brain."
Deformities of Samuel Johnson, Selected from his Works|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for emunctory

emunctory

/ (ɪˈmʌŋktərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

of or relating to a bodily organ or duct having an excretory function

noun plural -ries

an excretory organ or duct, such as a skin pore

Word Origin for emunctory

C16: from New Latin ēmunctōrium, from Latin ēmungere to wipe clean, from mungere to wipe

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

Medicine definitions for emunctory

emunctory

[ ĭ-mŭngk′tə-rē ]

adj.

Serving to carry waste out of the body; excretory.

n.

An organ or duct that removes or carries waste from the body.