PLACENTA


Meaning of PLACENTA in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ plə-ˈsen-tə ]

noun

( plural -centas or pla·cen·tae -ˈsen-(ˌ)tē)

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, flat cake, from Greek plakoenta, accusative of plakoeis, from plak-, plax flat surface — more at fluke

Date: 1691

1. : the vascular organ in mammals except monotremes and marsupials that unites the fetus to the maternal uterus and mediates its metabolic exchanges through a more or less intimate association of uterine mucosal with chorionic and usually allantoic tissues ; also : an analogous organ in another animal

2. : a sporangium-bearing surface ; especially : the part of the carpel bearing ovules

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.