SPIRACLE

spiracle

(noun) a breathing orifice

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

spiracle (plural spiracles)

A pore or opening used (especially by arthropods and some fish) for respiration.

The blowhole of a whale, dolphin or other similar species.

Any small aperture or vent for air or other fluid.

Anagrams

• calipers, earclips, replicas

Source: Wiktionary


Spir"a*cle, n.Etym: [L. spiraculum, fr. spirare to breathe: cf. F. spiracule. See Spirit.]

1. (Anat.)

Definition: The nostril, or one of the nostrils, of whales, porpoises, and allied animals.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the external openings communicating with the air tubes or tracheæ of insects, myriapods, and arachnids. They are variable in number, and are usually situated on the sides of the thorax and abdomen, a pair to a segment. These openings are usually elliptical, and capable of being closed. See Illust. under Coleoptera. (a) A tubular orifice communicating with the gill cavity of certain ganoid and all elasmobranch fishes. It is the modified first gill cleft.

3. Any small aperture or vent for air or other fluid.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

3 May 2025

DESIRABLE

(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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