Definition

1. Noun (Anatomy, Zoology):
   • The vascular organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy in most mammals, connecting the fetus to the uterine wall. It allows for the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and waste products between the mother's and the fetus's bloodstreams. It is expelled from the uterus after birth.
2. Noun (Botany):
   • The part of the ovary in a flowering plant (an angiosperm) to which the ovules are attached.

Usage Examples

• Anatomy/Zoology:
  • The placenta is essential for fetal development.
  • After the baby was born, the doctor delivered the placenta.
• Botany:
  • In botany, the placenta is the region within the ovary where ovules develop into seeds after fertilization.

Advanced Usage

• "Placental": Pertaining to or having a placenta.
  • Humans are placental mammals.
• "Placentation": The arrangement or mode of attachment of the placenta within the uterus (in animals) or ovary (in plants).
  • The type of placentation varies among different plant families.

Variants and Related Words

• Placentae (n): A plural form of placenta, often used in scientific contexts.
• Placentas (n): The more common plural form.
• Placental (adj): Relating to the placenta.
• Aplacental (adj): Lacking a placenta.
• Placentation (n): The formation or arrangement of a placenta or placentas.

Synonyms

• Afterbirth (n): (Specifically for the expelled organ post-delivery in anatomy) The placenta and fetal membranes discharged from the uterus after the birth of offspring.

Related Phrases and Terms

• Placenta previa (Medical term): A condition where the placenta implants in the lower part of the uterus, covering the cervix.
• Placental barrier (Biological term): The selective barrier formed by placental tissues that regulates the exchange of substances between mother and fetus.

Noun

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