placenta

pla·cen·ta
P3L1A1C3E1N1T1A1
/pləˈsɛntə/[pʰl̥əˈsɛntʰə]/pləˈsɪntə/[pʰl̥əˈsɪ̟ntʰə]

noun

An organ in most mammals during gestation that supplies food and oxygen to the foetus and passes back waste. It is on the wall of the uterus and links to the foetus through the umbilical cord. It is expelled after birth.

Similar
afterbirthcleangleantrophosperm
OriginNew Latin placenta →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

nounplacenta (plural placentae or placentas)

plural placentae · plural placentas

  1. anatomyAn organ in most mammals during gestation that supplies food and oxygen to the foetus and passes back waste. It is on the wall of the uterus and links to the foetus through the umbilical cord. It is expelled after birth.

    Synonyms: afterbirth, clean, glean

  2. biologyIn flowering plants, the part of the ovary where ovules develop; in non-flowering plants where the spores develop.

    Synonyms: trophosperm

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn organ in most mammals during gestation that supplies food and oxygen to the foetus and passes back waste. It is on the wall of the uterus and links to the foetus through the umbilical cord. It is expelled after birth.

Similar
afterbirthcleanglean

nounIn flowering plants, the part of the ovary where ovules develop; in non-flowering plants where the spores develop.

Similar
trophosperm
Also see
placentarium

Origin

  1. New Latinplacenta
  2. Englishplacenta

Learned borrowing from New Latin placenta (literally “flat cake”), an ellipsis of phrases such as placenta uterī (literally “womb cake”) and placenta uterīna (literally “uterine cake”), because of the flat round shape of the afterbirth. Doublet of palacsinta and palatschinke.

More words from New Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek χόριον
  • χόριον (khórion)anatomy: placenta
Arabic مَشِيمَة, خَلَاص
  • مَشِيمَة (mašīma)anatomy: placenta
  • خَلَاص (ḵalāṣ)anatomy: placenta
  • سُخْد (suḵd)anatomy: placenta
Bengali অমরা
  • অমরা (omra)anatomy: placenta
Bulgarian плаце́нта
  • плаце́нта (placénta)anatomy: placenta
Catalan placenta, placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
  • placentabotany
Chinese Cantonese 胎盤 /胎盘
  • 胎盤 /胎盘anatomy: placenta
Chinese Mandarin 胎盤 /胎盘
  • 胎盤 /胎盘 (tāipán)anatomy: placenta
Czech plodové lůžko, placenta
  • plodové lůžkoanatomy: placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Danish moderkage
  • moderkageanatomy: placenta
Dutch moederkoek, placenta
  • moederkoekanatomy: placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Estonian platsenta
  • platsentaanatomy: placenta
Finnish istukka
  • istukkaanatomy: placenta
French placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
German Plazenta, Mutterkuchen
  • Plazentaanatomy: placenta
  • Mutterkuchenanatomy: placenta
Greek πλακούντας
  • πλακούντας (plakoúntas)anatomy: placenta
Hebrew שִׁלְיָה
  • שִׁלְיָהanatomy: placenta
Hindi बीजांडासन, अपरा
  • बीजांडासन (bījāṇḍāsan)anatomy: placenta
  • अपरा (aprā)anatomy: placenta
  • खेड़ी (kheṛī)anatomy: placenta
  • गर्भनाल (garbhanāl)anatomy: placenta
  • पुरइन (purain)anatomy: placenta
  • आंवल (āmval)anatomy: placenta
Hungarian méhlepény
  • méhlepényanatomy: placenta
Icelandic fylgja, legkaka
  • fylgjaanatomy: placenta
  • legkakaanatomy: placenta
Irish slánú
  • slánúanatomy: placenta
Italian placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Japanese 胞衣, 後産
  • 胞衣 (ena)anatomy: placenta
  • 後産 (atozan)anatomy: placenta
  • 胎盤 (taiban)anatomy: placenta
Korean 태반
  • 태반 (taeban)anatomy: placenta
Latvian placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Lithuanian placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Malay uri, plasenta
  • urianatomy: placenta
  • plasentaanatomy: placenta
Maori rehuwhāereere, ewe
  • rehuwhāereereanatomy: placenta
  • eweanatomy: placenta
Norwegian Bokmål morkake
  • morkakeanatomy: placenta
Persian جفت جنین, جفت
  • جفت جنین (joft-e janin)anatomy: placenta
  • جفت (joft)anatomy: placenta
  • مشیمه (mašime)anatomy: placenta
  • همراه (hamrâh)anatomy: placenta
Polish łożysko
  • łożyskoanatomy: placenta
Portuguese placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Romanian placentă, placentă
  • placentăanatomy: placenta
  • placentăbotany
Russian плаце́нта, после́д
  • плаце́нта (placénta)anatomy: placenta
  • после́д (posléd)anatomy: placenta
  • семяно́сец (semjanósec)botany
Slovak placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Spanish placenta, placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
  • placentabotany
Swahili zingizi
  • zingizianatomy: placenta
Swedish moderkaka, placenta
  • moderkakaanatomy: placenta
  • placentaanatomy: placenta
Tagalog inunan
  • inunananatomy: placenta
Tamil நஞ்சுக்கொடி
  • நஞ்சுக்கொடி (nañcukkoṭi)anatomy: placenta
Thai รก
  • รก (rók)anatomy: placenta
Turkish plasenta, etene
  • plasentaanatomy: placenta
  • eteneanatomy: placenta
  • döl eşianatomy: placenta
Ukrainian плаце́нта
  • плаце́нта (placénta)anatomy: placenta
Urdu آن٘وَل
  • آن٘وَل (ā̃val)anatomy: placenta
Vietnamese nhau, thực giá noãn
  • nhauanatomy: placenta
  • thực giá noãnanatomy: placenta
  • nhau thaianatomy: placenta

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with placenta

polentaDrenthe
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Tlapanec
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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