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nectary

[nek-tuh-ree]
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noun, plural nec·ta·ries.
  1. Botany. an organ or part that secretes nectar.
  2. Entomology. a cornicle (formerly thought to secrete honeydew).
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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

  • 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.

  • Where in relation to the nectary are the stigma and the anthers?

  • Her own food has been honey drawn from the nectary of a flower.

British Dictionary definitions for nectary

nectary

noun plural -ries
  1. any of various glandular structures secreting nectar that occur in the flowers, leaves, stipules, etc, of a plant
  2. any of the abdominal tubes in aphids through which honeydew is secreted
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Derived Formsnectarial (nɛkˈtɛərɪəl), adjective

Word Origin

C18: from New Latin nectarium, from nectar
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012