orifice

Definition

A mouth or aperture, such as of a tube, pipe, etc.; an opening.

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French, from Late Latin ōrificium (“an opening, literally the making of a mouth”), compound of ōs (“mouth”) + faciō (“to make”).

Example Sentences

• "the orifice of an artery or vein; the orifice of a wound; he entered the cave's gaping orifice"
• "As none of the ovicells were observed to be closed by the operculum, presumably because they were empty and the opercula were resting on the primary orifice rim, the ovicell closure type is subcleithral rather than cleithral [51 ], at least in some species of the genus."
• "the vagina and other orifices"