urethra

American  

[yoo-ree-thruh] / jʊˈri θrə /

noun

Anatomy.

urethrae, plural urethras plural

1. the membranous tube that extends from the urinary bladder to the exterior and that in the male conveys semen as well as urine.

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urethra British  

/ jʊˈriːθrə /

noun

1. the canal that in most mammals conveys urine from the bladder out of the body. In human males it also conveys semen

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urethra Scientific  

/ y-rē′thrə /

urethras plural

1. The duct through which urine passes from the bladder to the outside of the body in most mammals and some fish and birds. In males, the urethra passes through the penis and also serves as the duct for the release of sperm, which enter the urethra from the vas deferens.

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urethra Cultural  

1. A tube through which urine moves from the urinary bladder out of the body. In the male, the urethra also acts as the passageway for semen.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• suburethral
  adjective
• transurethral
  adjective
• urethral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• urethrae
  plural
• urethras
  plural

Etymology

Origin of urethra

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin ūrēthra, from Greek ourḗthra, equivalent to ourē- + -thra noun suffix; see ureter

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

urethra urethrae urethras

UTIs are bacterial infections which can affect the bladder, urethra or kidneys.

From BBC ● May 21, 2025

And, unexpectedly, a test done in the hospital — perhaps a blood test or an X-ray or an examination of the urethra and the bladder — finds a cancer.

From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024

An enlarged prostate can put pressure on the urethra and make it more difficult to urinate.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2024

It’s wrapped around the urethra, the tube that carries semen and urine out of the body, which means that a growing prostate can pinch the urethra.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 23, 2024

The tumors had completely blocked her urethra, leaving her doctors unable to pass a catheter into her bladder to empty it.

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

Women also have the compressor urethrae and the sphincter urethrovaginalis, which function to close the vagina.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

It is not unusual to find ruptured urethrae following traumatism, and various explanations are given for it in the standard works on surgery.

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

His team has developed "eight cell-based tissues we put into patients," he says, including engineered skin, urethras, and cartilage, all grown in the lab.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2018

Then "tubular structures like blood vessels and urethras" are a little more complex, with "hollow non-tubular organs like bladders" harder still.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2018

And Hu hopes his team’s finding that longer urethras increased urine flow rate would inform designs for more efficient water towers or hydration backpacks by encouraging the use of longer pipes or hoses, respectively.

From Time ● Sep. 17, 2015

Dozens of people are thriving with experimental bladders made from their own cells, as are more than a dozen who have urethras made from their own bladder tissue.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2013

The animals put leaves over the ends of their urethras, so that the water will not flow out; but a bird pecks the leaves away, and the monkeys turn to revenge themselves on the bird.

From Filipino Popular Tales by Fansler, Dean Spruill