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: ³sewer2 [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 invertebrate3: cesspool 2

— clo·a·cal \-ˈā-kəl\ adjective