Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

orifice

 - 5 dictionary results

or⋅i⋅fice

  [awr-uh-fis, or-]
Use orifice in a Sentence
–noun
an opening or aperture, as of a tube or pipe; a mouthlike opening or hole; mouth; vent.
Origin:
1535–45; < MF < LL ōrificium, equiv. to L ōr- (s. of ōs) mouth + -i- -i- + -fic-, comb. form of facere to make, do 1 (see -fic ) + -ium n. suffix

Related forms:
or⋅i⋅fi⋅cial  [awr-uh-fish-uhl, or-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To orifice
or·i·fice   (ôr'ə-fĭs, ŏr'-)   
n.  An opening, especially to a cavity or passage of the body; a mouth or vent.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin ōrificium : Latin ōs, ōr-, mouth; see ōs- in Indo-European roots + Latin -ficium, a making, doing (from facere, to make; see dhē- in Indo-European roots).]
or'i·fi'cial (-fĭsh'əl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

orifice 
1541, from M.Fr. orifice "the opening of a wound" (14c.), from L. orificium "an opening," lit. "mouth-making," from os (gen. oris) "mouth" + facere "make" (see factitious).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: or·i·fice
Pronunciation: 'or-&-f&s, 'är-
Function: noun
: an opening through which something may pass —or·i·fi·cial /"or-&-'fish-&l, "är-/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

orifice or·i·fice (ôr'ə-fĭs)
n.
An opening, especially to a cavity or passage of the body; a mouth or vent.

or'i·fi'cial (-fĭsh'əl) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see orifice on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way