Meanings
plural orifices
- A mouth or aperture, such as of a tube, pipe, etc.; an opening.
the orifice of an artery or vein; the orifice of a wound; he entered the cave's gaping orifice
2 more examples
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.
2015 October 22, “Diversity and Systematics of Schizomavella Species (Bryozoa: Bitectiporidae) from the Bathyal NE Atlantic”, in PLOS ONE, →DOIThe plug in the orifice of the tube was temporarily removed and the mirror carefully cleaned.
1892, Royal Astronomical Society, Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society, volumes 50-51, Blackwell Scientific, page 162 - One of the natural external openings of the human or animal body.
the vagina and other orifices
2 more examples
The maw-worm could emerge unexpectedly from any orifice, including, most alarmingly, the corner of people's eyes.
1999, Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger, The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of The First Millennium, London: Abacus, published 2000, page 121For example, cultures that scorn open orifices of all kinds despise uninfibulated female genitals too[…]
2004, Diana T. Meyers, Being Yourself: Essays on Identity, Action, and Social Life, page 86 - derogatoryslangA stupid or objectionable person.
“Peanuts aren't nuts, you orifice. They're legumes.”
2016, Niels Saunders, Mervyn Vs. Dennis
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latinōrificium“an opening, literally the making of a mouth”
- Englishorifice
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”).
More words from Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian отвор, отверстие
- отвор (otvor)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- отверстие (otverstie)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- устие (ustie)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- проход (prohod)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- дюза (djuza)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- жигльор (žigljor)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- щуцер (štucer)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Catalan orifici
- orificimouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Chinese Mandarin 孔, 口
- 孔 (kǒng)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- 口 (kǒu)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- 洞 (dòng)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- 開口 /开口 (kāi kǒu)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Danish åbning
- åbningmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Esperanto aperturo
- aperturomouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Finnish aukko, reikä
- aukkomouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- reikämouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
French orifice
- orificemouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
German Öffnung
- Öffnungmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Icelandic op, munnur
- opmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- munnurmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Indonesian mulut
- mulutmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Irish poll, oscailt
- pollmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- oscailtmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- béalmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Italian orifizio, orificio
- orifiziomouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- orificiomouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Japanese 口, 開口部
- 口 (kuchi)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- 開口部 (kaikōbu)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- 孔 (ana)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Malay mulut
- mulutmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Māori wenewene, pūaha
- wenewenemouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- pūahamouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- mānawanawamouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Norwegian Bokmål åpning, åp
- åpningmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- åpmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Polish otwór, ujście
- otwórmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- ujściemouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Portuguese orifício
- orifíciomouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Russian отве́рстие
- отве́рстие (otvérstije)mouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Scottish Gaelic beul, fosgladh
- beulmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- fosgladhmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Spanish orificio
- orificiomouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Swedish öppning, mynning
- öppningmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- mynningmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Tagalog bukasan
- bukasanmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Turkish açıklık, delik
- açıklıkmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
- delikmouth or aperture, as of a tube, pipe
Cite this entry
orifice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orifice
“orifice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orifice. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orifice,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orifice.
Source: orifice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.