Theplacenta is the mass of veins and tissue inside the womb of a pregnant woman or animal, which the unborn baby is attached to.
The infection can be passed on to the baby via the placenta.
placenta in British English
(pləˈsɛntə)
nounWord forms: plural-tas or -tae (-tiː)
1.
the vascular organ formed in the uterus during pregnancy, consisting of both maternal and embryonic tissues and providing oxygen and nutrients for the fetus and transfer of waste products from the fetal to the maternal blood circulation
See also afterbirth
2.
the corresponding organ or part in certain mammals
3. botany
a.
the part of the ovary of flowering plants to which the ovules are attached
b.
the mass of tissue in nonflowering plants that bears the sporangia or spores
Word origin
C17: via Latin from Greek plakoeis flat cake, from plax flat
placenta in American English
(pləˈsɛntə)
nounWord forms: pluralplaˈcentas or plaˈcentae (pləˈsɛnti)
1. Anatomy and Zoology
a.
a vascular organ, developed within the uterus of most mammals during gestation from the chorion of the embryo and a part of the maternal uterine wall, that is connected to the embryo by the umbilical cord and that is discharged shortly after birth: it serves as the structure through which nourishment for the fetus is received from, and wastes of the fetus are eliminated into, the circulatory system of the mother
b.
any similar structure in other animals
2. Botany
a.
that part of the lining of the ovary which bears the ovules
b.
any mass of tissue that bears sporangia or spores
Derived forms
placental (plaˈcental)
adjective
Word origin
ModL < L, lit., a cake < Gr plakounta, acc. of plakous, a flat cake < plax (gen. plakos), a flat object < IE base *plāk-, flat > L placere, to please
Examples of 'placenta' in a sentence
placenta
Many people will think this is shocking but lots of mammals eat their placenta after birth.
The Sun (2013)
The fox cub was still attached to its umbilical cord and placenta when it was spotted in a garden and brought into the centre by the homeowner.