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uterus
(u´tәr-әs)
pl. u´teri
the hollow muscular organ in female mammals in which the blastocyst can become embedded and in which the developing embryo and fetus can be nourished. The broad, flattened upper part is called the fundus uteri; the large, open middle part is called the body or corpus uteri; and the narrow, tubular lower part is called the cervix uteri and opens downward into the vagina. Two fallopian tubes enter the uterus at the upper end, one on each side. The walls of the uterus are composed of muscle, and its lining is mucous
membrane. Its muscular substance is called the myometrium, and its inner lining is called the endometrium. Called also metra and womb. adj., u´terine., adj.
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