/ lækˈteɪt; NAmE / verb
[ v ] ( technical ) ( of a woman or female animal ) to produce milk from the breasts to feed a baby or young animal
► lac·ta·tion / lækˈteɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
the period of lactation
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WORD ORIGIN
late 19th cent.: back-formation from lactation , from Latin lactatio(n-) , from lactare suckle, from lac , lact- milk.