lacrimal

[ lak-ruh-muhl ]

/ ˈlæk rə məl /

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adjective

lachrymal (defs. 1-3).

Also lachrymal. Anatomy. of, relating to, or situated near the organs that secrete tears.

noun

lacrimal bone.

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Origin of lacrimal

First recorded in 1535–45; variant of lachrymal

Words nearby lacrimal

lacquer, lacquer tree, lacquey, Lacretelle, Lacrima Christi, lacrimal, lacrimal bone, lacrimal duct, lacrimal gland, lacrimal sac, lacrimation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lacrimal in a sentence

Glands near animals’ eyes — called lacrimal glands — constantly make tears.
Scientists Say: Lachryphagy|Bethany Brookshire|December 21, 2020|Science News For Students
Or was it just a little harmless exercise of the lacrimal glands?
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 11 (of 14)|Elbert Hubbard
The small lacrimal bone anterior to the plate articulates with the maxilla and the premaxilla.
Phylogeny of the Waxwings and Allied Birds|M. Dale Arvey
Fistulas may arise from wounds of glandular organs or their ducts, and thus we have the so-called mammary or lacrimal fistulas.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture

The nasal is triangular and, with the lacrimal, forms the medial border of the naris.
A New Order of Fishlike Amphibia From the Pennsylvanian of Kansas|Theodore H. Eaton
Only a slight part of the maxillary process of the lacrimal remains on each side.
A New Species of Heteromyid Rodent from the Middle Oligocene of Northeast Colorado with Remarks on the Skull|Edwin C. Galbreath

British Dictionary definitions for lacrimal

lacrimal

lachrymal or lacrymal

/ (ˈlækrɪməl) /

adjective

of or relating to tears or to the glands that secrete tears

Word Origin for lacrimal

C16: from Medieval Latin lachrymālis, from Latin lacrima a tear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012