estrus
Americannoun
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the period of heat or rut; the period of maximum sexual receptivity of a female mammal.
noun
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A regularly recurring period in female mammals other than humans during which the animal is sexually receptive. Estrus occurs around the time of ovulation.
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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.
Otter moms will often go immediately into estrus if they lose a pup.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2023
In female sheep, the estrus cycle is coordinated by the length of the day and does not begin until day length shortens.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Female pandas are in estrus for only 24 to 72 hours each year and also can have false pregnancies.
From Washington Post • Aug. 21, 2019
In particular, the stress hormone cortisol suppresses the secretion of reproductive hormones and can disrupt estrus cycles.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2017
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.
