afterbirth

American  

[af-ter-burth, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌbɜrθ, ˈɑf- /

noun

1. the placenta and fetal membranes expelled from the uterus after childbirth.

---

afterbirth British  

/ ˈɑːftəˌbɜːθ /

noun

1. the placenta and fetal membranes expelled from the uterus after the birth of the offspring

---

afterbirth Scientific  

/ ăf′tər-bûrth′ /

1. The placenta and fetal membranes expelled from the uterus following the birth of a mammal.

---

Etymology

Origin of afterbirth

First recorded in 1580–90; after + birth

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

afterbirth

He showed me one young lamb barely an hour old, its mother still licking the afterbirth off.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2024

Because they feed primarily on cow afterbirth and calf carcasses, they help clean up messes and reduce labor time.

From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2023

“It was years later,” says Reed-Allen now living in Urbana, Md., “when I realized afterbirth had been left inside me and that I could have died.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2021

During the three days I spend there, it smells strongly of afterbirth and the floor is flecked with blood and dirt.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 2, 2017

All linen was swept aside to be washed, but she carefully wrapped the useless cord and the afterbirth and laid the package at the feet of the Virgin on the small altar.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya