n.
Pronunciation: pl ə - ' sen-t ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -centas or -cen · tae \ - ' sen-( ˌ )t ē \
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