venter

noun

ven·​ter ˈven-tər 

1

: a wife or mother that is a source of offspring

2

[borrowed from New Latin, going back to Latin] : a protuberant and often hollow anatomical structure: such as

a

: the undersurface of the abdomen of an arthropod

b

: the swollen basal portion of an archegonium in which an egg develops

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French ventre "belly, womb, mother," going back to Latin ventr-, venter "belly, womb, bulge"; perhaps, if going back to *wet-ri- or *wed-ri- (with nasal of uncertain origin), akin to Latin uterus "womb," Sanskrit udara- — more at uterus

First Known Use

1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

venter

noun

ven·​ter ˈvent-ər 

: an anatomical structure that is protuberant and often hollow: as

a

: abdomen

also : a large bodily cavity (as in the head, thorax, or abdomen) containing organs

b

: belly sense 2

Biographical Definition

Venter

biographical name

Ven·​ter ˈven-tər 

J(ohn) Craig 1946–     American geneticist