emunctory

[ ih-muhngk-tuh-ree ]

noun

, plural e·munc·to·ries.

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

adjective

1. excretory.

emunctory

/ -trɪ; ɪˈmʌŋktərɪ /

adjective

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

noun

1. an excretory organ or duct, such as a skin pore

Word History and Origins

Origin of emunctory¹

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 -tory ², -tōrius -tory ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of emunctory¹

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

Example Sentences

The stomach is not, like most glandular organs, a simple emunctory, and it is affected by medicines in a different way.

From Project Gutenberg

In the first place, the secretion of sweat, like that of the lungs, cannot be considered as a common emunctory.

From Project Gutenberg

Emunctory, e-mungk′tor-i, n. an organ of the body that carries off waste: an excretory duct.

From Project Gutenberg

A nose is "the prominence on the face which is the organ of scent, and the emunctory of the brain."

From Project Gutenberg