A bodily organ or opening through which waste products and unwanted substances are removed or eliminated, like the skin, lungs, kidneys, or intestines.
From Latin emunctus (cleansed, wiped out) derived from emungere (to blow out the nose, cleanse), from e- (out) + mungere (to wipe or blow).
Ancient and medieval doctors were obsessed with keeping the 'emunctories' open and flowing—they thought if your skin, bowels, and urine weren't working right, disease would accumulate in your body, which actually contained kernels of truth about cleanliness and health!
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