Placentary

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the characteristics and biological functions of a structure that supports fetal development in mammals through placentation
2. Pertaining to the biological characteristics and functions associated with placental development and its role in supporting mammalian embryos
3. Connected to the placenta and its role in nourishing a fetus during pregnancy

Etymology: "Placentary" is a plain formation: the adjective is built from "placenta" with the suffix "-ary," which means "relating to" or "belonging to." So the word is simply "of or relating to the placenta," and it describes whatever pertains to that organ or to the structures around it. "Placenta" itself came into English from Latin, where it meant a flat cake, and the image behind it is the organ's shape. The Latin word was borrowed from Greek "plakous," meaning a flat cake, which is also the origin of the English word "placenta" used for the afterbirth. The name was applied because the organ looks like a flat, round cake. The suffix "-ary" arrived through Latin "-arius," which denoted a person or thing connected with something, and it became a common way of forming English adjectives from nouns.

Synonyms: placental