emunctory

[ ih-muhngk-tuh-ree ]

noun

, plural e·munc·to·ries.

1. a part or organ of the body, as the skin or a kidney, that functions in carrying off waste products.

adjective

1. excretory.

emunctory

/ -trɪ; ɪˈmʌŋktərɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to a bodily organ or duct having an excretory function

noun

1. an excretory organ or duct, such as a skin pore

Word History and Origins

Origin of emunctory¹

1535–45; < New Latin ēmunctōrium (noun), ēmunctōrius (adj.), equivalent to Latin ēmung ( ere ) to wipe one's nose ( ē- e- ¹ + -mungere, akin to mūcus mucus ) + -tōrium -tory ², -tōrius -tory ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of emunctory¹

C16: from New Latin ēmunctōrium, from Latin ēmungere to wipe clean, from mungere to wipe

Example Sentences

Emunctory, e-mungk′tor-i, n. an organ of the body that carries off waste: an excretory duct.—v.t.

From Project Gutenberg

The nose, for instance, he says is the emunctory of the brain; but every anatomist knows that it performs no such office, neither hath the nose any communication with the brain, but by means of its nerves.—Yet this dictionary is reckoned the best English one extant.

From Project Gutenberg

A nose is "the prominence on the face which is the organ of scent, and the emunctory of the brain."—The heart is "the muscle which by its contraction and dilatation propells the blood through the course of circulation, and is therefore considered as the source of vital motion."—Now let any person consider for whom such strange definitions can possibly be intended.

From Project Gutenberg

If the skin then, is an emunctory of so much consequence, as we have endeavoured to shew it to be, it stands to reason, that even the impartial performance of its functions, is incompatible with healthful existence.

From Project Gutenberg

An emunctory business, first functioned by Barabbas.

From Project Gutenberg