uterus

noun uter·us \ˈyü-tə-rəs, ˈyü-trəs\

medical : the organ in women and some female animals in which babies develop before birth

plural uter·us·es or uteri \ˈyü-tə-ˌrī\

Full Definition of UTERUS

: a muscular organ of the female mammal for containing and usually for nourishing the young during development prior to birth —called also womb

: a structure in some lower animals analogous to the uterus in which eggs or young develop

See uterus defined for English-language learners

See uterus defined for kids

Origin of UTERUS

Middle English, from Latin, belly, womb; probably akin to Greek hoderos belly, Sanskrit udara

First Known Use: 14th century

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

UTERUSES Defined for Kids

uterus

noun uter·us \ˈyü-tə-rəs\

plural uter·us·es or uteri \ˈyü-tə-ˌrī\

Definition of UTERUS for Kids

: the organ of a female mammal in which the young develop before birth

Medical Dictionary

uterus

noun uter·us \ˈyüt-ə-rəs\

plural uteri \-ˌrī\ also uter·us·es

Medical Definition of UTERUS

: 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 2a, corpus uteri, endometrium, fundus c, myometrium, perimetrium