lachrymatory

American  

[lak-ruh-muh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈlæk rə məˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

Or lacrimatory

adjective

1. of, relating to, or causing the shedding of tears.

---

noun

• lachrymatories
  plural

1. Also called lachrymal. a small, narrow-necked vase found in ancient Roman tombs, formerly thought to have been used to catch and keep the tears of bereaved friends.

lachrymatory British  

/ ˈlækrɪmətərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. a small vessel found in ancient tombs, formerly thought to hold the tears of mourners

---

adjective

1. a variant spelling of lacrimatory

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lachrymatories
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of lachrymatory

1650–60; (noun) < Medieval Latin lachrymātōrium, equivalent to lachrymā ( re ) to shed tears + -tōrium -tory ²; (adj.) < Medieval Latin lachrymātōrius, equivalent to lachrymā ( re ) + -tōrius -tory ¹; see lachrymal

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lachrymatory lachrymatories

Onions make us teary because a reaction in the onion releases a chemical called lachrymatory factor, or LF, that irritates our eyes.

From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2017

"What he was proposing to use in Mesopotamia was lachrymatory gas, which is essentially tear gas, not mustard gas."

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2015

"Bring a lachrymatory, I want to fill it with my tears."

From Told by the Death's Head A Romantic Tale by M?r J?kai

Some are merely lachrymatory or "tear" shells; the gas affecting the eyes in such a manner as to produce constant "weeping" and consequent inability to see clearly.

From The Emma Gees by Herbert Wes McBride

The lachrymatory shell makes your eyes smart, and the Germans apparently considered this a great auxiliary to high explosives and shrapnel.

From My Second Year of the War by Frederick Palmer

At one point, Christle discovers that the Victorians did not actually collect their tears in glass vials, called lachrymatories; nonetheless, the image gives her a metaphor for her process.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 8, 2020

The opening of ancient baths, burial vaults, &c. has led to the finding of tesselated pavements, coins, urns, rings, lachrymatories, seals, monumental inscriptions, medals, statues, chains, sacrificing vessels, &c.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 343, November 29, 1828 by Various

They are probably some of the most ancient specimens of ornamental glass existing, excepting, of course, the vases and lachrymatories of the classic times.

From Visits To Monasteries in the Levant by Robert Curzon

Farce bottleth up her crocodile tears, or labelleth her empty lachrymatories.

From The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6 Letters 1821-1842 by Mary Lamb

Some of these are thought to be Phœnician tombs, as lamps and lachrymatories have been found in them.

From The Story of Malta by Maturin Murray Ballou

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---