estrus
Americannoun
-
the period of heat or rut; the period of maximum sexual receptivity of a female mammal.
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of estrus
First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin oestrus oestrus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the other, the whales weren’t pregnant during the first massive progesterone surge, but were instead experiencing a prolonged state of estrus or ovulating.
From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2023
Otter moms will often go immediately into estrus if they lose a pup.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2023
Females of these species mate only during the estrus phase of the cycle.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
As a female panda is about to reach peak estrus, experts said, these behaviors increase in frequency.
From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2019
Even mainstream trainers would drop pennies in mares’ water buckets to halt estrus, or exhaust themselves trying to get a mane that fell to the left—a bad omen—to fall to the right.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
