Main Entry: pla·cen·ta

Pronunciation: \plə-ˈsen-tə\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural pla·centas or pla·cen·tae \-ˈsen-(ˌ)tē\

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, flat cake, from Greek plakoenta, accusative of plakoeis, from plak-, plax flat surface — more at fluke

Date: 1691

1 : the vascular organ in mammals except monotremes and marsupials that unites the fetus to the maternal uterus and mediates its metabolic exchanges through a more or less intimate association of uterine mucosal with chorionic and usually allantoic tissues; also : an analogous organ in another animal
2 : a sporangium-bearing surface; especially : the part of the carpel bearing ovules