/ pləˈsentə; NAmE / (usually the placenta ) noun
( anatomy ) the material that comes out of a woman or female animal's body after a baby has been born, and which was necessary to feed and protect the baby
SYN afterbirth
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent.: from Latin , from Greek plakous , plakount- flat cake, based on plax , plak- flat plate.