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placentas

  • plural
    of placenta.
    placenta
    noun
    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.

Example Sentences

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They’ve been found in human organs and tissue, such as brains, livers, placentas and testicles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026

A South African hospital cleaner has been arrested after being found in possession of a bag of human placentas in eastern Mpumalanga province, police say.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025

Some placentas have evolved to be disklike, some are leaf-shaped, some ring-shaped, heart-shaped; some are ridged, branched, labyrinthine, or weblike.

From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2024

For this purpose, the team used fully functional human placentas that were made available after planned caesarean sections.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2024

In 2006, some seven hundred new mothers found out that doctors had taken their placentas without consent to test for abnormalities that might help the hospital defend itself against future lawsuits over birth defects.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot