lactation

[ lak-tey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for lactation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the secretion or formation of milk.

  2. the period of milk production.

Origin of lactation

1
1660–70; <Late Latin lactātiōn- (stem of lactātiō) a giving suck. See lactate1, -ion

Other words from lactation

  • lac·ta·tion·al, adjective
  • lac·ta·tion·al·ly, adverb
  • hy·per·lac·ta·tion, noun
  • o·ver·lac·ta·tion, noun
  • su·per·lac·ta·tion, noun

Words Nearby lactation

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

How to use lactation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lactation

lactation

/ (lækˈteɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the secretion of milk from the mammary glands after parturition

  2. the period during which milk is secreted

Derived forms of lactation

  • lactational, adjective
  • lactationally, adverb

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 lactation

lactation

[ lăk-tāshən ]


  1. The secretion or production of milk by the mammary glands in female mammals after giving birth.

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