placenta

American  

[pluh-sen-tuh] / pləˈsɛn tə /

noun

plural

placentas, placentae

1. Anatomy, Zoology. the organ in most mammals, formed in the lining of the uterus by the union of the uterine mucous membrane with the membranes of the fetus, that provides for the nourishment of the fetus and the elimination of its waste products.

2. Botany.

   1. the part of the ovary of flowering plants that bears the ovules.

   2. (in ferns and related plants) the tissue giving rise to sporangia.

---

placenta British  

/ pləˈsɛntə /

noun

1. the vascular organ formed in the uterus during pregnancy, consisting of both maternal and embryonic tissues and providing oxygen and nutrients for the fetus and transfer of waste products from the fetal to the maternal blood circulation See also afterbirth

2. the corresponding organ or part in certain mammals

3. botany

   1. the part of the ovary of flowering plants to which the ovules are attached

   2. the mass of tissue in nonflowering plants that bears the sporangia or spores

---

placenta Scientific  

/ plə-sĕn′tə /

1. The sac-shaped organ that attaches the embryo or fetus to the uterus during pregnancy in most mammals. Blood flows between mother and fetus through the placenta, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the fetus and carrying away fetal waste products. The placenta is expelled after birth.

2. The part of the ovary of a flowering plant to which the ovules are attached. In a green pepper, for example, the whitish tissue to which the seeds are attached is the placenta.

---

placenta Cultural  

1. An organ that forms in the uterus after the implantation of a zygote. The placenta moves nourishment from the mother's blood to the embryo or fetus; it also sends the embryo or fetus's waste products into the mother's blood to be disposed of by the mother's excretory system. The embryo or fetus is attached to the placenta by the umbilical cord. After birth, the placenta separates from the uterus and is pushed out of the mother's body.

---

Other Word Forms

• interplacental adjective
• nonplacental adjective
• placental adjective
• placentary adjective
• preplacental adjective
• subplacenta noun
• subplacental adjective

Etymology

Origin of placenta

First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin: “something having a flat, circular form,” Latin: “cake,” from Greek plakóenta, accusative of plakóeis “flat cake,” derivative of pláx (stem plak- ) “flat”

Example Sentences

Evolution repurposed ancient infections into essential parts of human biology, including the placenta and adaptive immunity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Late in her third trimester, doctors diagnosed her with placenta accreta, a potentially life-threatening condition in which the placenta grows too far into the wall of the uterus.

From The Wall Street Journal

They have already been detected in breast milk and in the placenta -- and even in the brain.

From Science Daily

"It was the knitting needle I brought back from my parents' house. It was also that when I finally miscarried, I didn't know that there would be a placenta to pass."

From BBC

In an ectopic pregnancy, the placenta can’t safely grow, increasing the chances of maternal bleeding and fetal death, according to the release.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• sheath
• sheet