Main Entry: clo·a·ca

Pronunciation: \klō-ˈā-kə\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural clo·a·cae \-ˌkē, -ˌsē\

Etymology: Latin; akin to Greek klyzein to wash — more at clyster

Date: 1599

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
3 : cesspool 2

— clo·a·cal \-ˈā-kəl\ adjective