nectary

[nek-tuh-ree]

noun, plural nec·ta·ries.

Botany. an organ or part that secretes nectar.
Entomology. a cornicle (formerly thought to secrete honeydew).

Origin of nectary

From the New Latin word nectarium, dating back to 1590–1600. See nectar, -y³

Related formsnec·ta·ried, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nectary

Historical Examples of nectary

Its nectary tube is five inches in length, and as slender as a knitting-needle.
My Studio Neighbors
William Hamilton Gibson
Angræcum, orchid of Madagascar, with nectary eleven inches long, 219.
My Studio Neighbors
William Hamilton Gibson
Stamens 5, inserted on the nectary, and alternating with the lobes of the latter.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines
T. H. Pardo de Tavera
Where in relation to the nectary are the stigma and the anthers?
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets
Various
Her own food has been honey drawn from the nectary of a flower.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. I (of 4)
William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for nectary

nectary

noun plural -ries

any of various glandular structures secreting nectar that occur in the flowers, leaves, stipules, etc, of a plant
any of the abdominal tubes in aphids through which honeydew is secreted

Derived Formsnectarial (nɛkˈtɛərɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for nectary

C18: from New Latin nectarium, from nectar

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