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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

lac·ta·tion

Audio Help [lak-tey-shuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	the secretion or formation of milk.

2.	the period of milk production.

[Origin: 1660–70; < LL lactātiōn- (s. of lactātiō) a giving suck. See lactate¹, -ion

]

—Related forms

lac·ta·tion·al, adjective

lac·ta·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
lactation

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

lac·ta·tion Audio Help (lāk-tā'shən) Pronunciation Key
n.

Secretion or formation of milk by the mammary glands.
The period during which the mammary glands secrete milk.

lac·ta'tion·al adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
lactation

1668, "process of suckling an infant," from Fr. lactation, from L. lactationem (nom. lactatio) "a suckling," from L. lactatus, pp. of lactare "suckle," from lac (gen. lactis) "milk," from PIE base *glact- (cf. Gk. gala, gen. galaktos "milk"). Meaning "process of secreting milk from the breasts" first recorded 1857; lactate (v.) in this sense is a back-formation from 1889. Lactic acid is from 1790; so called because it was obtained from sour milk. M.Ir. lacht, Welsh llaeth "milk" are loan words from Latin.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

lactation
noun
1.	the period following birth during which milk is secreted; "lactation normally continues until weaning"
2.	the production and secretion of milk by the mammary glands
3.	feeding an infant by giving suck at the breast [syn: suckling]

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

lactation Audio Help (lāk-tā'shən) Pronunciation Key
The secretion or production of milk by the mammary glands in female mammals after giving birth.