uterus

noun

uter·​us ˈyü-tə-rəs How to pronounce uterus (audio)
ˈyü-trəs
plural uteri ˈyü-tə-ˌrī How to pronounce uterus (audio) 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 other animals (such as salamanders and nematodes) analogous to the mammalian uterus in which eggs or young develop

Examples of uterus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These engineering innovations, implemented in a mobile support platform, represent the first working prototype of an artificial uterus for mammalian gestation. Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026 The vast majority of the time, an ectopic pregnancy takes place in a fallopian tube, which is a part of the reproductive system that is not able to stretch in the way the uterus can. Emily Brindley health Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026 Further, people seeking protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act for menstruation complications such as endometriosis, which occurs when tissue grows outside of the uterus and often causes severe pain during menstrual cycles, face an uphill battle. Ann Juliano, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026 The point was to reduce the horrible pelvic pain caused by her endometriosis (a condition in which estrogen-reliant endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus). Erica Sloan, SELF, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uterus

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of uterus was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Uterus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uterus. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

uterus

noun
uter·​us ˈyüt-ə-rəs How to pronounce uterus (audio)
plural uteruses or uteri -ˌrī How to pronounce uterus (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce uterus (audio)
plural uteri -ˌrī How to pronounce uterus (audio) 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

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