oestrus

American  

[es-truhs, ee-struhs] / ˈɛs trəs, ˈi strəs /

noun

Zoology.

1. Chiefly British. a variant of estrus.

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oestrus British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• oestrous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of oestrus

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oestrus

The zoo said Kukena, nicknamed Kuki, recently had her first oestrus and her genitalia became more pronounced which alerted them to her true gender.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2018

Odour cologne Decades before the famous smelly T-shirt research, another pioneering study took place that also suggested that human females have oestrus.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 11, 2018

Because females that haven't mated when they are in oestrus can develop problems with their uterus, the rare encounters that do take place often come to naught.

From Nature ● May 30, 2012

I hope I may, for the oestrus of work is upon me—for the first time this couple of years.

From Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 2 by Thomas Henry Huxley

Another, weighing 200 grams on February 3, 1952, still was imperforate, but by February 27 she was perforate and appeared to be in oestrus.

From Ecological Observations on the Woodrat, Neotoma floridana by Henry S. Fitch

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