nectary

[ nek-tuh-ree ]

/ ˈnɛk tə ri /

Save This Word!

noun, plural nec·ta·ries.

Botany. an organ or part that secretes nectar.

Entomology. a cornicle (formerly thought to secrete honeydew).

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of nectary

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

OTHER WORDS FROM nectary

nec·ta·ried, adjective

Words nearby nectary

nectariferous, nectarine, nectarivorous, nectarize, nectarous, nectary, nectopod, Ned, NEDC, Nedda, neddy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nectary in a sentence

Hence even the thin nectary is essentially, I infer, tripartite; hence its tendency to bifurcation at its top.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin
But oddest of all is the crown of five-hooded nectaries above the corolla, each nectary enclosing an incurved horn.
Birds and All Nature, Vol. V, No. 3, March 1899|Various
Nectary a cylindrical tube attached to the corolla for half its length, mouth 10-toothed, containing 10 sessile anthers.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera
Anthers equal in number to the teeth of the nectary and inserted between them.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera

Smaller insects might creep into the nectary and sip without the intended fulfilment.
My Studio Neighbors|William Hamilton Gibson

British Dictionary definitions for nectary

nectary

/ (ˈnɛktərɪ) /

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 forms of nectary

nectarial (nɛkˈtɛərɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for nectary

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