placenta

noun

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pla·cen·ta | \ plə-ˈsen-tə

plural placentas or placentae\ plə-ˈsen-(ˌ)tē

Definition of placenta

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

Examples of placenta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wildlife photographer Kelly Fogel, for example, recently submitted rare footage of an elephant eating her own placenta after giving birth. — Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 9 June 2021 In people, this can lead to severe complications that include liver damage, kidney failure and detachment of the placenta. — Bob Holmes, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 May 2021 The hallucinatory images that introduce the series—a symbolic merging of the birth canal and the Railroad; Cora’s emergence; her mother, Mabel, burying the placenta and at some point fleeing—are followed by matters very real. — John Anderson, WSJ, 13 May 2021 Bamfield and Ho focused on the baby, while Beeding helped Mounga deliver the placenta in the bathroom. — Washington Post, 7 May 2021 There are no embryonic materials or placenta in the vaccines. — Washington Post, 28 May 2021 Oh baby, baby, how are you supposed to know whether Covid-19 vaccines can affect your placenta? — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 12 May 2021 She was then taken to a trauma hospital and had emergency surgery for a retained placenta, the probable cause statement said. — Audrey Jensen, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2021 Both twins were in the neonatal intensive care unit at Bath Royal United Hospital, but Rosalie, who had a smaller placenta and didn't grow as much, had to stay in the hospital longer. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'placenta.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

12 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Placenta.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placenta. Accessed 20 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for placenta

placenta

noun

English Language Learners Definition of placenta

medical : the organ in mammals that forms inside the mother's uterus, nourishes the unborn baby, and is pushed out of the mother after the birth of the baby

See the full definition for placenta in the English Language Learners Dictionary

placenta

noun

pla·cen·ta | \ plə-ˈsen-tə

Kids Definition of placenta

: the organ in most mammals by which the fetus is joined to the uterus of the mother and is nourished

placenta

noun

pla·cen·ta | \ plə-ˈsent-ə

plural placentas or placentae\ -ˈsent-(ˌ)ē

Medical Definition of placenta

: 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 permitting exchange of material by diffusion between the maternal and fetal vascular systems but without direct contact between maternal and fetal blood and typically involving the interlocking of fingerlike vascular chorionic villi with corresponding modified areas of the uterine mucosa — see abruptio placentae