First Known Use: 1599
Dictionary
cloaca
noun clo·a·ca \klō-ˈā-kə\
plural clo·a·cae\-ˌkē, -ˌsē\
Definition of CLOACA
1
: 3sewer
2
[New Latin, from Latin] : the common chamber into which the intestinal and urogenital tracts discharge especially in monotreme mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and elasmobranch fishes; also : a comparable chamber of an invertebrate
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Origin of CLOACA
Latin; akin to Greek klyzein to wash — more at clyster
Medical Dictionary
cloaca
noun clo·aca \klō-ˈā-kə\
plural clo·acae \-ˌkē, -ˌsē\
Medical Definition of CLOACA
1
a : the common chamber into which the intestinal, urinary, and generative canals discharge especially in monotreme mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and elasmobranch fishes b : the terminal part of the embryonic hindgut of a mammal before it divides into rectum, bladder, and genital precursors
2
: a passage in a bone leading to a cavity containing a sequestrum
—clo·acal \-ˈā-kəl\ adjective
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