anestrus

A1N1E1S1T1R1U1S1

noun

In female placental mammals—excluding humans and great apes—a phase of the estrous cycle during which the sexual cycle rests.

Similar
anaestrumanœstrumanestrumanestrous phaseanoestrusanoestrum
Opposite
Scrabble 8

Meanings

nounanestrus (countable and uncountable, plural anestri)

plural anestri · alternative anoestrus · alternative anœstrus

  1. countableuncountablebiologyIn female placental mammals—excluding humans and great apes—a phase of the estrous cycle during which the sexual cycle rests.

    During anestrus the size range and numbers of ovarian antral follicles were similar to those seen during the breeding season.

    2008, Sabine Meinecke-Tillmann, Burkhard Meinecke, “Chapter 14: Ultrasonography in Small Ruminant Reproduction”, in Heide Schatten, Gheorghe M. Constantinescu, editors, Comparative Reproductive Biology, Blackwell Publishing, page 352
    2 more examples

    1993, R. E. Larsen, S. C. Denham, J. F. Boucher, E. L. Adams, Chapter 13: Breeding Season Length Versus Calving Percentage in Beef Cattle Herds, Michael J. Fields, Robert S. Sand (editors), Factors Affecting Calf Crop, CRC Press, page 191, Duration of postpartum anestrus is the period from calving to the first estrus. This anestrus period is recognized as being a major factor in controlling the proportion of cows conceiving each breeding season (Wiltbank et al., 1961).

    2011, Carole C. Miller, Carla L. Carleton (consulting editor), Anestrus, Jean-Pierre Lavoie, Kenneth William Hinchcliff (editors), Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Equine, 2nd Edition, Wiley, page 75, Treating a mare with progesterone while she is in anestrus/early vernal transition will suppress ovarian activity.

    Synonyms: anaestrum, anœstrum, anestrum, anestrous phase

Synonyms & antonyms

nounIn female placental mammals—excluding humans and great apes—a phase of the estrous cycle during which the sexual cycle rests.

Similar
anaestrumanœstrumanestrumanestrous phase

More synonyms by meaning

nounapplies to nonhuman mammals: a state or interval of sexual inactivity between two periods of estrus

Opposite
Broader
physical conditionphysiological statephysiological condition

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*ə-
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̓- (ă-)
  5. Ancient Greekἀν- (an-)
  6. Englishan-
  7. Englishestrus
  8. Englishanestrus

From an- + estrus.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 不动情期
  • 不动情期 (búdòngqíngqī)period of pause during the sexual cycle
French anœstrus
  • anœstrusperiod of pause during the sexual cycle
German Anöstrus
  • Anöstrusperiod of pause during the sexual cycle
Italian anestro
  • anestroperiod of pause during the sexual cycle
Portuguese anestro
  • anestroperiod of pause during the sexual cycle
Russian анэ́струс
  • анэ́струс (anɛ́strus)period of pause during the sexual cycle
Spanish anestro
  • anestroperiod of pause during the sexual cycle

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

anestrus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anestrus

MLA

“anestrus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anestrus. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anestrus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anestrus.

Source: anestrus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.