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venter

 - 5 dictionary results

ven⋅ter

[ven-ter]
–noun
1. Anatomy, Zoology.
a. the abdomen or belly.
b. a bellylike cavity or concavity.
c. a bellylike protuberance.
2. Law. the womb, or a wife or mother, as a source of offspring.

Origin:
1535–45; < L venter belly, womb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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vent 1   (věnt)   
n.  
  1. A means of escape or release from confinement; an outlet: give vent to one's anger.

  2. An opening permitting the escape of fumes, a liquid, a gas, or steam.

  3. The small hole at the breech of a gun through which the charge is ignited.

  4. Zoology The excretory opening of the digestive tract in animals such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

  5. Geology

    1. The opening of a volcano in the earth's crust.

    2. An opening on the ocean floor that emits hot water and dissolved minerals.

v.   vent·ed, vent·ing, vents

v.   tr.
  1. To express (one's thoughts or feelings, for example), especially forcefully.

  2. To release or discharge (steam, for example) through an opening.

  3. To provide with a vent.

v.   intr.
  1. To vent one's feelings or opinions.

  2. To be released or discharged through an opening.

  3. To rise to the surface of water to breathe. Used of a marine mammal.


[Partly from French vent (from Old French) and partly alteration of French évent (from Old French esvent, from esventer, to let out air, from Vulgar Latin *exventāre : Latin ex-; see ex- + Latin ventus, wind; see wē- in Indo-European roots).]
vent'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to give outlet to thoughts or emotions. To vent is to unburden oneself of a strong pent-up emotion: "She was jealous ... and glad of any excuse to vent her pique" (Edward G.E.L. Bulwer-Lytton).
Express, a more comprehensive term, refers to both verbal and nonverbal communication: found the precise words to express her idea; expressed his affection with a hug; "expressing emotion in the form of art" (T.S. Eliot).
Utter involves vocal expression: "The words were uttered in the hearing of Montezuma" (William Hickling Prescott).
Voice denotes the expression of outlook or viewpoint: The lawyer voiced her satisfaction with the verdict.
To air is to show off one's feelings, beliefs, or ideas: They aired their differences during dinner.
ven·ter   (věn'tər)   
n.  
  1. Anatomy

    1. The abdomen.

    2. The prominent fleshy portion of a muscle.

    3. A cavity or hollowed surface, especially of a bone.

  2. Zoology A part in lower forms of animal life corresponding to the abdomen of mammals.

  3. Botany The swollen lower portion of an archegonium containing the egg.

  4. Law The uterus of a woman as the source of offspring.


[Anglo-Norman, from Latin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ven·ter
Pronunciation: 'vent-&r
Function: noun
: an anatomical structure that is protuberant and often hollow: as a : ABDOMEN; also : a large bodily cavity (as in the head, thorax, or abdomen) containing organs b : BELLY 2
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

venter ven·ter (věn'tər)
n.

  1. See abdomen.

  2. See belly.

  3. One of the large cavities of the body.

  4. A cavity or hollowed surface, especially of a bone.

  5. The uterus.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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