Lachrymal
/ˈlæk.rɪ.məl/noun
Relating to tears or the glands and ducts that produce and carry tears.
Did you know?English *lachrymal* ultimately comes from Latin *lacrima* “tear,” and that same ancient root also gave us words as different as *slack* and *slacken* through a separate but related old branch meaning “loose” or “drooping.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sleg- / *legh-
“Ancient roots associated with looseness, drooping, or lying down, reflected in related words like slack and lax; the tear-word itself is traditionally traced through Latin rather than directly from this branch.”
Latin
Latin
lacrima
“A tear.”
Late Latin
Latin
lacrimalis
“Pertaining to tears.”
Old French
Old French
lacrimal
“Relating to tears or weeping.”
Middle English
English
lachrymal
“Pertaining to tears, especially the tear-producing parts of the eye.”
Modern English
English
lachrymal
“Relating to tears or the tear apparatus.”