secretory

[ si-kree-tuh-ree ]

/ sɪˈkri tə ri /

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adjective

pertaining to secretion.

performing the process of secretion.

noun, plural se·cre·to·ries.

a secretory organ, vessel, or the like.

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Origin of secretory

First recorded in 1685–95; secret(ion) + -ory¹

OTHER WORDS FROM secretory

non·se·cre·to·ry, adjective, noun, plural non·se·cre·to·ries.

Words nearby secretory

secret history, secretin, secretion, secretive, secretly, secretory, secret partner, secret police, secret Santa, secret sauce, secret service

How to use secretory in a sentence

Taken as a whole this is often called the "secretory balance" or "internal secretory balance."
Taboo and Genetics|Melvin Moses Knight, Iva Lowther Peters, and Phyllis Mary Blanchard
Considering epithelium from the point of view of function, it may be classified as protective, absorptive or secretory.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
In the secretory portion of the gland and in the smaller ducts the epithelial layer is one cell thick only.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
In the second main variety of gland the secretory portion is enlarged and the lumen variously increased in size.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various

They have been considered as secretory organs, answering to the pancreas in vertebrate animals.
The Insect World|Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for secretory

secretory

/ (sɪˈkriːtərɪ) /

adjective

of, relating to, or producing a secretiona secretory cell; secretory function

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