Word
uterus
US/ˈjutɝəs/
UK/jˈuːtəɹəs/
Definition
n. the part of a female mammal's body where a baby develops before birth.
n. the hollow muscular organ in female mammals in which the zygote implants and the foetus develops until parturition.
Examples
“The fetus develops inside the uterus for nine months.”
“During a routine ultrasound, the doctor checked the position of the placenta within the uterus.”
“The walls of the uterus undergo significant physiological changes during the menstrual cycle to prepare for the potential implantation of a fertilized egg.”
Examples
simple
“The fetus develops inside the uterus for nine months.”
contextual
“During a routine ultrasound, the doctor checked the position of the placenta within the uterus.”
complex
“The walls of the uterus undergo significant physiological changes during the menstrual cycle to prepare for the potential implantation of a fertilized egg.”
Usage
In medical and scientific contexts, 'uterus' is the standard term, whereas 'womb' is more common in everyday or literary speech.
Teaching tip
While 'womb' is a common B1-level word, 'uterus' is the essential term for medical, biological, or formal health discussions.
Real-World Examples
“The wrinkles also might squeegee the penis to prevent sperm-killing seawater from entering the uterus during copulation.” Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Indo-European *úderos Latin uteruslbor. English uterus Learned borrowing from Latin uterus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/uterus