Main Entry:

uter·us

Pronunciation:

\ˈyü-tə-rəs, ˈyü-trəs\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural uter·us·es or uteri \ˈyü-tə-ˌrī\

Etymology:

Middle English, from Latin, belly, womb; probably akin to Greek hoderos belly, Sanskrit udara

Date:

14th century

1 : a muscular organ of the female mammal for containing and usually for nourishing the young during development prior to birth —called also womb 2 : a structure in some lower animals analogous to the uterus in which eggs or young develop