freemartin
[ free-mahr-tn ]
noun
a female calf that is born as a twin with a male and is sterile as a result of exposure to masculinizing hormones produced by the male.
Origin of freemartin
1First recorded in 1675–85; origin uncertain
Words Nearby freemartin
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British Dictionary definitions for freemartin
freemartin
/ (ˈfriːˌmɑːtɪn) /
noun
the female of a pair of twin calves of unlike sex that is imperfectly developed and sterile, probably due to the influence of the male hormones of its twin during development in the uterus
Origin of freemartin
1C17: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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