corpus luteum

[ kawr-puhs loo-tee-uhm ]

noun,plural cor·po·ra lu·te·a [kawr-per-uh-loo-tee-uh]. /ˈkɔr pər ə ˈlu ti ə/.
  1. Anatomy, Zoology. a ductless gland developed within the ovary by the reorganization of a Graafian follicle following ovulation.

  2. Pharmacology. an extract of this gland, usually of the hog or cow, the chief product of which is progesterone.

Origin of corpus luteum

1
1780–90; <New Latin: yellow body

Words Nearby corpus luteum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use corpus luteum in a sentence

  • In normal single pregnancies in cattle there is never more than one corpus luteum present.

  • The empty follicle becomes cicatrized in the ovary and is called the corpus luteum (yellow body).

    The Sexual Question | August Forel
  • After awhile the cavity of the corpus luteum contracts, and the opening into it closes.

    A System of Midwifery | Edward Rigby
  • In the hypertension of the menopause some have had success with large doses of corpus luteum extract.

    Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: | Louis Marshall Warfield
  • This corpus luteum grows in size until it sometimes occupies as much as one-third of the ovary.

    Woman | William J. Robinson

British Dictionary definitions for corpus luteum

corpus luteum

/ (ˈluːtɪəm) /


nounplural corpora lutea (ˈluːtɪə)
  1. a yellow glandular mass of tissue that forms in a Graafian follicle following release of an ovum. It secretes progesterone, a hormone necessary to maintain pregnancy

Origin of corpus luteum

1
New Latin, literally: yellow body

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for corpus luteum

corpus luteum

[ lōōtē-əm ]


Plural corpora lutea
  1. A yellow mass of cells that forms from a mature ovarian follicle after ovulation and that secretes progesterone. If fertilization of the egg occurs, the corpus luteum persists for the first few months of pregnancy.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.