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oestrus

[ es-truhs, ee-struhs ]

noun

, Zoology.
  1. Chiefly British. a variant of estrus.


oestrus

/ ˈɛstrəm; ˈiːstrəm; ˈiːstrəs; ˈɛstrəs /

noun

  1. a regularly occurring period of sexual receptivity in most female mammals, except humans, during which ovulation occurs and copulation can take place; heat
“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


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Derived Forms

  • ˈoestrous, adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of oestrus1

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin, from Greek oîstros “gadfly, sting, madness”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of oestrus1

C17: from Latin oestrus gadfly, hence frenzy, from Greek oistros
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Example Sentences

An apparent instance of hostility between rival males competing for an oestrus female was observed on September 2, 1950.

Vaginal smears at this stage often showed nucleated cells characteristic of oestrus.

Females examined in February mostly were perforate and many of them appeared to be in oestrus.

Females which had borne and suckled young were first found to be in oestrus 65 to 104 days after birth of the young.

It is, however, less prominent than in oestrus, and does not gape.

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oestrous cycleoeuvre