womb

[woom]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR womb ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the uterus of the human female and certain higher mammals.

the place in which anything is formed or produced: the womb of time.

the interior of anything.

Obsolete. the belly.

Nearby words

Origin of womb

before 900; Middle English, Old English: belly, womb; cognate with Dutch wam, German Wamme, Gothic wamba belly; cf. wamus

Related formswombed, adjectiveun·womb, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for womb

At present, not every woman is young enough, fertile enough, or healthy enough to have a baby using her own eggs or her own womb.
Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women|Samantha Allen|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The womb may become artificial by the end of the century but it will still be the battleground for feminist politics.
The Artificial Womb Will Change Feminism Forever|Samantha Allen|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But when the womb—the most politicized body part in history—is separated from the woman, what will it mean for feminism?
The Artificial Womb Will Change Feminism Forever|Samantha Allen|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the Latin mātrīx for “womb” comes from the same Indo-European root that gives us the English “mother.”
The Artificial Womb Will Change Feminism Forever|Samantha Allen|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In New York City, affluent parents sign up for pre-school while their child is still in the womb.
All Kids Want a Head Start|Eleanor Clift|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She is lovely to look upon, and enchants by her sweet singing, but her womb is loathsome.
The Crown of Wild Olive|John Ruskin
This occurs every month and each time the womb becomes a little stronger and better able to hold a growing babe.
Confidences|Edith B. Lowry
But to do so consigns the infant in the womb from darkness to darkness.
The Yotsuya Kwaidan or O'Iwa Inari|James S. De Benneville
Womb Spasms: Cramp bark, one ounce; skullcap, one ounce; skunk cabbage, four drams.
Searchlights on Health|B. G. Jefferis and J. L. Nichols
She had borne the Emperor in her womb, but the philosopher outsoared her comprehension.
The Ninth Vibration And Other Stories|L. Adams Beck

British Dictionary definitions for womb

womb

noun

the nontechnical name for uterus Related adjective: uterine

a hollow space enclosing something, esp when dark, warm, or sheltering

a place where something is conceivedthe Near East is the womb of western civilization

obsolete the belly

Derived Formswombed, adjectivewomblike, adjective

Word Origin for womb

Old English wamb; related to Old Norse vomb, Gothic wamba, Middle Low German wamme, Swedish våmm

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

Word Origin and History for womb

womb

Old English wamb, womb "belly, uterus," from Proto-Germanic *wambo (cf. Old Norse vomb, Old Frisian wambe, Middle Dutch wamme, Dutch wam, Old High German wamba, German Wamme "belly, paunch," Gothic wamba "belly, womb," Old English umbor "child"), of unknown origin.