Noun: cloaca (cloacae) klow'ey-ku
- (zoology) the cavity (in birds, reptiles, amphibians, most fish, and monotremes but not other mammals) at the end of the digestive tract into which the intestinal, genital, and urinary tracts open
"The platypus, like other monotremes, has a cloaca"
- A waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
"The ancient Roman cloaca was an engineering marvel";
- sewer, sewerage
Derived forms: cloacae
Type of: bodily cavity, cavity, cavum, drain, drainpipe, waste pipe
Part of: sewage system, sewage works, sewer system
Encyclopedia: Cloaca