orifice

[awr-uh-fis, or-] /ˈɔr ə fɪs, ˈɒr-/
noun
1.
an opening or aperture, as of a tube or pipe; a mouthlike opening or hole; mouth; vent.
Origin
1535-45; < Middle French < Late Latin ōrificium, equivalent to Latin ōr- (stem of ōs) mouth + -i- -i- + -fic-, combining form of facere to make, do1 (see -fic) + -ium noun suffix
Related forms
orificial
[awr-uh-fish-uh l, or-] /ˌɔr əˈfɪʃ əl, ˌɒr-/ (Show IPA), adjective
Can be confused
office, orifice.
Examples from the web for orifice
  • What they got is early birth, and tubes in every orifice.
  • Crayfish relieving themselves from an unlikely orifice is one such postulation.
  • Time hops, and oil spurts from time's lower orifice.
  • We can direct fiber-optic devices into every orifice.
  • It communicates with the surface of the body by the rima or orifice of the mouth.
British Dictionary definitions for orifice

orifice

/ˈɒrɪfɪs/
noun
1.
(mainly Technical) an opening or mouth into a cavity; vent; aperture
Word Origin
C16: via French from Late Latin ōrificium, from Latin ōs mouth + facere to make
Word Origin and History for orifice
n.

early 15c., from Middle French orifice "the opening of a wound" (14c.) and directly from Latin orificium "an opening," literally "mouth-making," from os (genitive oris) "mouth" (see oral) + facere "make" (see factitious). Related: Orificial.

orifice in Medicine

orifice or·i·fice (ôr'ə-fĭs)
n.
An opening, especially to a cavity or passage of the body; a mouth or vent.

or'i·fi'cial (-fĭsh'əl) adj.