The Plural of Uterus: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

If you have ever needed to use the plural form of uterus and wondered what it is, you have come to the right place. There are probably not many contexts where the plural form is used, especially during a pandemic, but it is still good to have more information on hand. It is also good to know that a thesaurus, google, or wikipedia may mention the word fundus as a synonym for uterus.  This article will teach you what a uterus is, the plural form of the word, the history and origin, synonyms, and examples of the word in context. 

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What Is The Medical Definition Of Uterus?

The word uterus is defined as: 

  • a hollow muscular organ of the female mammal for containing and usually for nourishing the young during development prior to birth 
    • called also womb
  • a structure in some lower animals analogous to the uterus in which eggs or young develop

A uterus is unique to the female reproductive system of a female. It is what makes a woman’s unique ability to carry offspring in the pelvic cavity of females possible. Anatomically, the uterus is located in the lower pelvic region between the bladder and the rectum. Each month a woman’s ovaries produce eggs which travel down the fallopian tubes or oviduct and into the uterus. During this journey if the egg comes into contact with sperm a baby can be conceived and then implants itself into the endometrium or lining of the uterus where it will take nutrients from the woman’s body until it is fully developed and able to sustain itself apart from the mother’s body. 

What Is The Plural Form Of Uterus?

There are actually two different plural forms of uterus which are uteri and uteruses. The plural uteri is more common as it is easier to say. 

Some example sentences of the use of these two forms are: 

Embryos were extracted from uteri by saline solution lavage on days 2 and 3 of pregnancy.

In the impregnated females the uteri are filled with thousands of ova, each one of which encloses an embryo already well formed.

It may be these catastrophic ruptures in an unscarred uteri that cause the misguided fear of cesarean scars rupturing.

With their informed consent, their uteruses were carefully examined after operation, and the authors found that a number of them had conceived just before surgery.

-Some of the desperate women who opted for backstreet abortions often had to have their uteruses surgically removed because of resulting massive infection.

– About 70 women with benign fibroids had their uteruses removed without first trying drugs or other treatments that could have been effective.

The History And Origin Of The Word

The word uterus has been around since about the 14th century. It is derived from the Latin word uterus from the PIE root udero. It also is found in the Greek language as hystera which means “womb” and the Lithuanian word vederas meaning sausage, intestines,  stomach, or lower abdomen. It is also similar to the sanskrit udara meaning the belly, abdomen, stomach, or bowels.

Related Words To Uterus

– a cavity or space that resembles a womb in containing and enveloping

– a place where something is generated

–    Genetalia-  the organs of the reproductive system

– especially : the external genital organs

– Breast- : either of the pair of mammary glands extending from the front of the chest in pubescent and adult human females and some other mammals

also : either of the analogous but rudimentary organs of the male chest especially when enlarged

– Ovary- : one of the typically paired essential female reproductive organs that produce eggs and in vertebrates female sex hormones

– Vagina- : a canal in a female mammal that leads from the uterus to the external orifice of the genital canal

– Private parts- the external genital and excretory organs

– Abdomen-  the part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis

… well-defined reddish lesions that can appear anywhere on the body but most often on the thighs and abdomen …

— Susan Logan-McCracken

Examples Of The Word In Context

  • First, there are the tests: semen analysis, infectious disease screening, and an evaluation of the uterus to make sure everything is working properly.

 Popular Science, “Most Americans can’t afford fertility treatments anymore—so they’re going abroad,” 24 Aug. 2020 

  • Your round ligaments, in particular, serve as connections between your uterus and your groin.

Zahra Barnes, SELF, “Lightning Crotch, Back Pain, and 6 Other Pregnancy Pains That Are Totally Normal,” 14 Aug. 2020 

  • Alison Galvan and her husband, Danny, have been trying to get pregnant for 2½ years, a process that has involved numerous doctors, many office visits and two surgeries to remove a muscle septum in her uterus.

 Richard Marini, ExpressNews.com, “Women struggling with infertility turn to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for support,” 14 Aug. 2020 

  • Pregnant women have been found to be at higher risk from other infectious respiratory diseases, likely because the lungs decrease in the volume as the uterus grows, Jamieson said.

Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, “How does coronavirus spread? When will a vaccine be available? Your COVID-19 questions, answered,” 1 July 2020 

  • In response, doctors often attributed physical complaints to psychological ailments and declared that too much activity in a woman’s mind might lead to dysfunction in her uterus.

 Emmeline Clein, Smithsonian Magazine, “Madame Yale Made a Fortune With the 19th Century’s Version of Goop,” 10 Mar. 2020 

  • Uterine fibroids or fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus.

Aisha Salaudeen, CNN, “Why Black women are more likely to have fibroids than any other race group,” 31 July 2020 

  • The second is misoprostol, which helps your uterus expel the pregnancy.

 Korin Miller, SELF, “9 Questions You Probably Have About the Abortion Pill, Answered by Doctors,” 31 July 2020 

  • Pregnant women have been found to be at higher risk from other infectious respiratory diseases, likely because the lungs decrease in the volume as the uterus grows, Jamieson said.

 Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, “How does coronavirus spread? When will a vaccine be available? Your COVID-19 questions, answered,” 1 July 2020

Summary

The American English language can be a tricky thing since it is a compilation of many other languages. Finding the correct plural forms of words is an important step to becoming well educated. Now you are an expert on all things regarding uteruses.

Sources:

  1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uterus
  2. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19263.htm
  3. https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-plural-of/uterus.html
  4. https://www.etymonline.com/word/uterus
  5. https://www.thesaurus.net/uterus
  6. https://www.popsci.com/story/health/fertility-treatment-europe-cheaper/
  7. https://www.self.com/story/pregnancy-pains-causes-and-treatment
  8. https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/article/Women-struggling-with-infertility-turn-to-social-15484857.php
  9. http://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/coronavirus-disease-answers-frequently-asked-questions/
  10. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-yale-fortune-19th-century-goop-180974153/
  11. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/31/africa/fibroids-awareness-african-women-intl/index.html
  12. https://www.self.com/story/abortion-pill-facts
  13. http://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/coronavirus-disease-answers-frequently-asked-questions/