corpus luteum

[kawr-puh s loo-tee-uh m]

noun, plural cor·po·ra lu·te·a [kawr-per-uh loo-tee-uh] /ˈkɔr pər ə ˈlu ti ə/.

Anatomy, Zoology. a ductless gland developed within the ovary by the reorganization of a Graafian follicle following ovulation.

Pharmacology. an extract of this gland, usually of the hog or cow, the chief product of which is progesterone.

Origin of corpus luteum

1780–90; < New Latin: yellow body

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for corpus luteum

corpus luteum

noun plural corpora lutea (ˈluːtɪə)

a yellow glandular mass of tissue that forms in a Graafian follicle following release of an ovum. It secretes progesterone, a hormone necessary to maintain pregnancy

Word Origin for corpus luteum

New Latin, literally: yellow body

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

corpus luteum in Medicine

corpus luteum

[lōō′tē-əm]

n.

A yellow, progesterone-secreting mass of cells that forms from a Graafian follicle after the release of a mature egg.yellow body

corpus luteum in Science

corpus luteum

[lōō′tē-əm]

Plural corpora lutea

A yellow mass of cells that forms from a mature ovarian follicle after ovulation and that secretes progesterone. If fertilization of the egg occurs, the corpus luteum persists for the first few months of pregnancy.