Meanings
plural cloacas · plural cloacae
- figurativelysometimesA sewer.
[…] that tremendous cloaca of Pauperism […]
2 more examples
The Thames, polluted with the filthy effusions of the cloacae.
1773, Gentleman's Magazine, number 43, page 598After working an hour, I began to speculate on the distance one had to go before the cloaca was reached the chances we had of missing it altogether.
1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 266Synonyms: see: sewer
- anatomyThe opening in reptiles, amphibians and birds, as well as elasmobranchians, lobe-finned fishes, and monotreme mammals, which serves as the common outlet for the urogenital ducts and rectum.
In birds the rectum, at the termination of its canal, forms an oval or elongated pouch […] and then expands into a cavity, which has been named cloaca.
1822, John Mason Good, The Study of Medicine, volume I, page 7 - anatomyA duct through which gangrenous material escapes a body.
Across this shell [sc. of bone] small holes are eaten, by which the matter escapes, and which are called cloacae (Weidmann).
1846, Joseph François Malgaigne, translated by Frederick Brittan, Manual of Operative Surgery, page 172Synonyms: see: vent
- embryologyStructure in the embryo during the development of the reproductive and urinary systems.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA sewer.
nounAn outhouse or lavatory.
nounA duct through which gangrenous material escapes a body.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincloāca“sewer”
- Englishcloaca
Borrowed from Latin cloāca (“sewer”), related to cluō (“cleanse; purge”), but the derivation is uncertain.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian клоа́ка
- клоа́ка (kloáka)anatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Catalan cloaca
- cloacaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Chinese Mandarin 泄殖腔
- 泄殖腔 (xièzhíqiāng)anatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Czech kloaka
- kloakaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Dutch cloaca
- cloacaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Esperanto kloako
- kloakoanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Estonian kloaak
- kloaakanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Finnish kloaakki
- kloaakkianatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
French cloaque
- cloaqueanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
German Kloake
- Kloakeanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Greek αμάρα
- αμάρα (amára)anatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Hebrew בִּיב
- בִּיב (biv)anatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Hungarian kloáka
- kloákaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Indonesian kloaka
- kloakaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Irish clóáca
- clóácaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Italian cloaca, fogna
- cloacaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
- fognaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Japanese 総排出腔, 排出腔
- 総排出腔anatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
- 排出腔anatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Portuguese cloaca
- cloacaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Romanian cloacă
- cloacăanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Russian клоа́ка
- клоа́ка (kloáka)anatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Spanish cloaca
- cloacaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Swahili kiloaka
- kiloakaanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Swedish kloaköppning
- kloaköppninganatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Vietnamese huyệt, lỗ huyệt
- huyệtanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
- lỗ huyệtanatomical feature of birds, reptiles, etc.
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cloaca
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
cloaca. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloaca
“cloaca.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloaca. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cloaca,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloaca.
Source: cloaca on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.