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.

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Etymology

Origin of excretory

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

Example Sentences

“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

The key regulatory processes that will be examined here are those affecting the excretory system, the reproductive system, metabolism, blood calcium concentrations, growth, and the stress response.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

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

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