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.

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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

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adjective

1. a variant spelling of lacrimatory

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

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

Shall we not enshrine these sparkling drops in a lachrymatory and, having sealed the sacred fluid with the city seal, shall we not set it in a prominent part of our civick museum?

From The Passionate Elopement by MacKenzie, Compton

Your uncle is great in the lachrymatory line, Clive Newcome.

From The Newcomes Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family by Thackeray, William Makepeace

The protection afforded by these means is just as complete against lachrymatory gases as it is against cloud gas and poisonous shell gases.

From Military Instructors Manual by Schoonmaker, Oliver