U"te*rus (?), n. [L.]
1. (Anat.) The organ of
a female mammal in which the young are developed previous to birth; the womb.
&fist; The uterus is
simply an enlargement of the oviduct, and in the lower mammals there is one on each side, but in the
higher forms the two become more or less completely united into one. In many male mammals there is a small vesicle, opening into the urinogenital canal, which corresponds to the uterus
of the female and is
called the male uterus, or [NL.] uterus masculinus.
2.
(Zoöl.) A receptacle, or pouch, connected with the oviducts of many invertebrates in which the eggs are retained until they hatch or
until the embryos develop more or less. See
Illust. of Hermaphrodite in Append.
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