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

Endometriosis is a chronic reproductive condition characterized by abnormal growth of uterine tissue outside of the uterus. —Monique Wilson, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2025

Pioneering physiologist Joseph Barcroft famously compared the oxygen levels any fetus receives to Everest in utero—Everest in the uterus. —Tim Vernimmen, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025

The fetal folds are creases along the calf’s skin that come from being scrunched inside its mother’s uterus for about 18 months. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2025

An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus. —Hannah Sacks, People.com, 17 Mar. 2025

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