menses
/'mensi:z/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The monthly discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the uterus through the vagina: This is a biological process in women and other female-bodied individuals of reproductive age, occurring as part of the menstrual cycle when pregnancy does not occur. It is also commonly called a period.
Usage
- The word "menses" is a formal, clinical, or technical term. It is typically used in medical, scientific, or academic contexts.
- It is a plural noun (treating the discharge as a recurring event) but is often used with a singular verb in modern English.
- In everyday conversation, terms like "period," "menstruation," or "monthly cycle" are more common.
Examples
- Noun:
- The onset of menses, or menarche, typically occurs during puberty.
- Irregular menses can sometimes indicate an underlying health condition.
- She tracked her menses using a calendar app.
Advanced Usage
- "The menses": Used with the definite article to refer to the specific menstrual flow or cycle.
- Pain associated with the menses is called dysmenorrhea.
- In historical or literary texts, the term can be found in discussions of physiology or health.
- The 19th-century medical text described various remedies for suppressed menses.
Variants and Related Words
- Menstruation (n): The process of discharging the menses; the cyclic event itself.
- Menstruation is a normal part of the reproductive cycle.
- Menstrual (adj): Relating to the menses or menstruation.
- Menstrual cramps can be uncomfortable.
- Catamenia (n): A rare, archaic synonym for menses.
- Menarche (n): The first occurrence of menstruation.
- Amenorrhea (n): The absence of menses.
Synonyms
- Period: The most common informal synonym.
- Monthly cycle: A descriptive, euphemistic phrase.
- Flow: An informal reference to the discharge itself.
Related Phrases
- Menstrual cycle: The entire recurring hormonal cycle of which menses is one phase.
- The average menstrual cycle is about 28 days long.
- To be on one's period: The common informal phrase for experiencing menstruation.
- She wasn't feeling well because she was on her period.
Noun
- the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause
- the women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation
- a woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped--Hippocrates
- the semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females--Aristotle