uterus

noun

uter·​us ˈyü-tə-rəs 

ˈyü-trəs

plural uteri ˈyü-tə-ˌrī  or uteruses

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

Examples of uterus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Next Steps for Unused Embryos One cycle of IVF typically produces several embryos, some of which do not get transferred into the uterus. —Wendy Wisner, Health, 16 Apr. 2024

She was eventually diagnosed with partial placenta separation from her uterus. —Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

Doctors performed surgery to remove Charlotte from Krissy's uterus to save her life, her husband told the outlet. —Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

These muscles support the bladder and bowel, as well as the uterus. —Kristina Behr, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024

The fluid, called culture media, is filled with nutrients that allow embryos to develop enough to ultimately be implanted into a uterus. —Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 8 Mar. 2024

Early on, research suggested that a fetus's position in the uterus could affect the very experiments used to assess the safety of BPA. —Jon Hamilton, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024

The process involves collecting eggs from ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab, then implanting them in a uterus. —Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024

The drug, which blocks the hormone progesterone, also primes the uterus to respond to the contraction-causing effect of another drug, misoprostol. —CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

uterus

noun

uter·​us ˈyüt-ə-rəs 

plural uteruses or uteri -ˌrī 

: the muscular organ of a female mammal in which the young develop before birth

called also womb

Medical Definition

uterus

noun

uter·​us ˈyüt-ə-rəs 

plural uteri -ˌrī  also uteruses

: an organ in female mammals for containing and usually for nourishing the young during development prior to birth that consists of a greatly modified and enlarged section of an oviduct (as in rodents and marsupials) or of the two oviducts united (as in the higher primates including humans), that has thick walls consisting of an outer serous layer, a very thick middle layer of smooth muscle, and an inner mucous layer containing numerous glands, and that during pregnancy undergoes great increase in size and change in the condition of its walls

called also womb

see cervix sense 2a, corpus uteri, endometrium, fundus sense c, myometrium, perimetrium