1. Plural of cloaca; in zoology, a common chamber in certain animals (birds, reptiles, amphibians) into which the intestinal, urinary, and reproductive tracts open.
Usage: technical/scientific; plural form
2. In ancient Rome, a sewer or underground drain system; plural of cloaca.
Usage: historical; plural form

Examples

• The cloacae of birds serve as a single opening for waste and reproductive functions.
• Reptiles and amphibians possess cloacae rather than separate urinary and fecal openings.
• The ancient Romans engineered impressive cloacae to manage waste in their cities.
• In comparative anatomy, the cloacae of different vertebrate species reveal evolutionary relationships.
• The cloaca maxima was one of the most famous cloacae of ancient Rome.