Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

excretory

American  
[ek-skri-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, ik-skree-tuh-ree] / ˈɛk skrɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ɪkˈskri tə ri /

adjective

  1. pertaining to or concerned in excretion; having the function of excreting.

    excretory organs.


Etymology

Origin of excretory

First recorded in 1675–85; excrete + -ory 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“It politicizes the human excretory function,” he said to even louder guffaws in the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 21, 2024

"Our research has mapped the excretory patterns of animals, spanning eight orders of scale from tiny cicadas to massive elephants," he said.

From Science Daily Mar. 11, 2024

Alimentary, nervous, and excretory systems are more developed in the nemertini than in less advanced phyla.

From Textbooks Jan. 1, 2015

There is no excretory system or organs, and nitrogenous wastes simply diffuse from the cells into the water outside the animal or in the gastrovascular cavity.

From Textbooks Jan. 1, 2015

Organic matter is broken down as it passes through the digestive tracts of the worms and the soil is enriched by their excretory products.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training