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puerperium

American  
[pyoo-er-peer-ee-uhm] / ˌpyu ərˈpɪər i əm /

noun

Obstetrics.
  1. the four-week period following childbirth.


puerperium British  
/ pjʊəˈpɪərɪəm /

noun

  1. the period following childbirth, lasting approximately six weeks, during which the uterus returns to its normal size and shape

"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

Etymology

Origin of puerperium

1885–90; < Latin: childbirth, childbed, equivalent to puerper ( us ) of a woman in labor ( puer boy, child + -perus bringing forth, akin to parere to bear, breed) + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Longus homost, magnas quoi lites intulit olim Falsum mendaci ventre puerperium.'

From The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

Walters looked into the statistics of such cases and found 36 accidental removals of the uterus in the puerperium with 14 recoveries.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)

Tollunt piscem vivum et mittunt eum in puerperium suum, et tamdiu ibi tenent, donec mortuus fuerit, et decocto pisce vel assato, maritis suis ad comedendum tradunt.

From Aphrodisiacs and Anti-aphrodisiacs: Three Essays on the Powers of Reproduction by Davenport, John

If the labour is normal and the puerperium uncomplicated, the number of leucocytes regains the normal in about a week.

From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis

In some countries of Malaysia the oil is used in the same way especially in beriberi and the periarticular inflammations incident to puerperium.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers