lachrymatory

Or lac·ri·ma·to·ry

[lak-ruh-muh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

adjective

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

noun

plural

lachrymatories 

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lachrymatory¹

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; lachrymal

Example Sentences

The chemical weapons broadly termed tear gas are officially classified as “lachrymatory agents” because they result in tears—along with nausea, burning sensations, watering eyes and a feeling of breathing difficulty.

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“And as my lungs, eyes and nose burned with the pain of the lachrymatory agent released from multiple capsules that had fallen around me, I started cursing.”

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

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

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So in theory, if you block the lachrymatory factor synthase, you can increase thiosulfinate, and end up with a tearless, yet more tasty, onion!

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