menstruate

[ men-stroo-eyt, -streyt ]

/ ˈmɛn struˌeɪt, -streɪt /

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verb (used without object), men·stru·at·ed, men·stru·at·ing.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of menstruate

1640–50; v. use of earlier menstruate menstruous, Middle English <Late Latin mēnstruātus, equivalent to mēnstru(a) monthly courses (see menstrual) + -ātus-ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM menstruate

un·men·stru·at·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use menstruate in a sentence

Another massive component is providing access to clean public toilets so that people who menstruate can safely take care of their own hygiene.
What we can learn from Scotland’s free period products|Sara Kiley Watson|December 10, 2020|Popular-Science
If you menstruate, you might also curse them for a few days a month.
Pig sex and celery have a surprising connection|PopSci Staff|September 30, 2020|Popular-Science
Girls who are menstruating are banned from participating altogether.
Allah in the Cafeteria|Noah Kristula-Green|March 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Women stopped menstruating, and men and women alike lost their sexual appetites.
Great Weekend Reads|Malcolm Jones, Matt Gallagher, Saul Austerlitz, Sharon Steel|September 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST

They were simply waiting for her to begin menstruating to finalize the ceremony and consummate the marriage.
An 11-Year-Old Bride Escapes|Gayle Tzemach Lemmon|August 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It would be interesting to know just how such complaints of menstruating women occur.
Criminal Psychology|Hans Gross
The question here arises whether the mother should continue to nurse her child while menstruating.
Treatise on the Diseases of Women|Lydia E. Pinkham
The menstruating woman was everywhere regarded as unclean, and excluded especially from acts of worship.
The Religion of the Indians of California|A. L. Kroeber
The writer has certainly observed its most typical development in women who were either menstruating or in the puerperal state.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
It is not wise to indulge in this exercise while menstruating, nor immediately after eating.
What a Young Woman Ought to Know|Mary Wood-Allen

British Dictionary definitions for menstruate

menstruate

/ (ˈmɛnstrʊˌeɪt) /

verb

(intr) to undergo menstruation

Word Origin for menstruate

C17: from Latin menstruāre, from mensis month

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