placenta

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun that part of the ovary of a flowering plant where the ovules form
  2. noun the vascular structure in the uterus of most mammals providing oxygen and nutrients for and transferring wastes from the developing fetus

Etymology

Elision for phrases such as New Latin placenta uterī (“womb cake”), placenta uterīna (“uterine cake”), from Latin placenta (“flat cake”), because of the flat round shape of the afterbirth. Doublet of palacsinta and palatschinke.

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading