mammae
- Noun:
- Milk-secreting organ: "mammae" is the plural form of "mamma," referring to the milk-producing glands in female mammals, including humans, that are part of the breast or udder.
- Anatomical structure: In anatomy, "mammae" specifically denotes the mammary glands, which consist of glandular tissue and fat, and are responsible for lactation after childbirth.
Anatomical context:
- The mammae of a cow can produce up to 40 liters of milk per day. (The milk-secreting organs of a cow yield large quantities of milk.)
- In humans, the mammae develop during puberty and are sensitive to hormonal changes. (The mammary glands in humans mature and respond to hormones.)
Scientific context:
- The study examined the evolution of mammae in monotremes and marsupials. (Researchers analyzed how mammary glands evolved in egg-laying and pouched mammals.)
"Mammae" in comparative anatomy: Used to describe the number and position of mammary glands across species, such as mammae pectorales (chest glands) in primates or mammae abdominales (abdominal glands) in dogs.
- Cats typically have eight mammae arranged in two rows along the abdomen. (Felines possess eight mammary glands in a paired abdominal pattern.)
"Mammae" in medical terminology: Often appears in conditions like mastitis (inflammation of the mammae) or galactorrhea (excessive milk secretion from the mammae).
- The patient complained of pain in her left mammae during breastfeeding. (The woman experienced discomfort in her left mammary glands while nursing.)
Mamma (n, singular): the milk-secreting organ of female mammals.
- Each mamma is composed of lobes that produce milk. (Every mammary gland consists of sections that generate milk.)
Mammary (adj): relating to the mammae.
- Mammary glands are present in both sexes but are functional only in females. (The milk-secreting organs exist in males and females but work only in females.)
Mammal (n): a class of animals that have mammae to feed their young.
- Humans are mammals because females have mammae to nurse their offspring. (People belong to the mammal class due to their milk-producing glands.)
- Breasts: commonly used in human anatomy for the mammae, especially in non-scientific contexts.
- Udder: refers to the mammae of large domestic animals like cows, goats, and sheep.
- Mammary glands: the precise anatomical term for the mammae.
"To suckle at the mammae": a literal or figurative phrase meaning to be nourished from the breast.
- The calf suckled at the mammae of its mother. (The young cow drank milk from the udder of its dam.)
"The mammae of the earth": a poetic expression for sources of natural abundance or fertility.
- The river valleys were seen as the mammae of the land, providing water and life. (The valleys were likened to nourishing glands that sustain the region.)