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

Removing the uterus also increases the risks of cardiovascular disease—because the body stops producing estrogen, which can be heart-protective—as well as depression, anxiety, and higher mortality, Laughlin-Tommaso said. —Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 6 Dec. 2024

These can range from losing one’s ovaries and uterus in a total hysterectomy to needing to use a colostomy bag to collect waste. —Simar Bajaj, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2024

Now if a woman’s uterus ruptured halfway through labor, there would be someone to treat her. —Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

Doctors insert a straw-like tube into the uterus and gently suction out any remaining pregnancy tissue. —Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 25 Nov. 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