orifice

[ awr-uh-fis, or- ]

noun

1. an opening or aperture, as of a tube or pipe; a mouthlike opening or hole; mouth; vent.

orifice

/ ˈɒrɪfɪs /

noun

1. technical_term.
   an opening or mouth into a cavity; vent; aperture

Other Words From

• or·i·fi·cial [awr-, uh, -, fish, -, uh, l, or-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of orifice¹

1535–45; < Middle French < Late Latin ōrificium, equivalent to Latin ōr- (stem of ōs ) mouth + -i- -i- + -fic-, combining form of facere to make, do ¹ ( -fic ) + -ium noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of orifice¹

C16: via French from Late Latin ōrificium, from Latin ōs mouth + facere to make

Example Sentences

With the tongue-in-cheekily titled “Another Day at the Orifice,” the 2024 University of Washington MFA students present their thesis exhibit, a great opportunity to spot local, up-and-coming talent.

From Seattle Times

Charles Darwin famously remarked on the ridiculousness of the fact that "every particle of food and drink we swallow has to pass over the orifice of the trachea with some risk of falling into the lungs."

From Salon

Even the foremost pioneer of evolutionary biology, Charles Darwin, famously remarked on the ridiculousness of the fact that "every particle of food and drink we swallow has to pass over the orifice of the trachea with some risk of falling into the lungs."

From Salon

Second, smaller animals are expected to pee in droplets because their orifice is too tiny to emit anything thicker.

From Science Daily

Charles Darwin famously remarked on the ridiculousness of the fact that "every particle of food and drink we swallow has to pass over the orifice of the trachea with some risk of falling into the lungs."

From Salon