noun
placenta
pluh-SEN-tuh/pləˈsentə/
An organ that supplies nutrients and oxygen to a fetus during pregnancy.
The placenta supplies the growing fetus with nutrients and oxygen.
Etymology
Latin placenta meant a flat cake, and the organ was named “uterine cake” because of its shape. The name describes its appearance rather than its role in nourishing the fetus.
In context
the fetus gets all the oxygen he needs from his mother's blood via the placenta
More examples
- An ultrasound shows where the placenta sits in the uterus.
- The umbilical cord connects the fetus to the placenta.
- The placenta is usually delivered shortly after the baby.
Forms
placenta · placentas · placentae
placental adjective — Relating to or involving the placenta.
Similar words
- afterbirth
- Includes the placenta and membranes expelled after a birth.