estrus

[ es-truh s ]
/ ˈɛs trəs /

noun Zoology.

Also es·trum [es-truh m] /ˈɛs trəm/, oestrus. the period of heat or rut; the period of maximum sexual receptivity of the female.
estrous cycle.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of estrus

1885–90; < Latin oestrus oestrus

OTHER WORDS FROM estrus

es·tru·al [es-troo-uh l] /ˈɛs tru əl/, adjective

Words nearby estrus

estrogen replacement therapy, estrogenic, estrone, estrous, estrous cycle, estrus, estuarine, estuary, estuary english, esu, esurient
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for estrus

estrus
/ (ˈɛstrəs, ˈiːstrəs) /

noun

the usual US spelling of oestrus

Derived forms of estrus

estrous, adjective
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

Medical definitions for estrus

estrus

n.

The periodic state of sexual excitement in the female of most mammals, excluding humans, that immediately precedes ovulation and during which the female is most receptive to mating; heat.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for estrus

estrus
[ ĕs′trəs ]

A regularly recurring period in female mammals other than humans during which the animal is sexually receptive. Estrus occurs around the time of ovulation. Also called heat
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.