lactation

[ lak-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the secretion or formation of milk.
2. the period of milk production.

lactation

/ lækˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the secretion of milk from the mammary glands after parturition
2. the period during which milk is secreted

lactation

/ lăk-tā′shən /

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

Derived Forms

• lacˈtationally, adverb
• lacˈtational, adjective

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lactation¹

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

Example Sentences

In a country that does not guarantee mandatory paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child and where there is an intense pressure to breastfeed, lactation rooms have multiplied in the last decade.

From Time

What does it mean when people are expected to breastfeed and yet to do it in secluded multi-user lactation rooms, like the Longworth House suite in the Capitol, often double as communal spaces, fostering a sense of camaraderie among new mothers.

From Time

The title Milk Factory underlines that lactation is a form of labor, even if federal law conceptualizes it as a break from work, which employers are not required to compensate.

From Time

From there, she traveled across the country to take pictures of lactation facilities in other workplaces, including a California farm, airports, various New York schools, and the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Alabama.

From Time

It also employs nurses, lactation consultants, and others who respond to messages and offer women advice or health screenings as issues come up.

From MIT Technology Review

“The case for using pharmaceutical galactogogues [substances used to increase lactation] has grown weaker,” the report found.

From The Daily Beast

Certainly not in the same way that motherhood triggers contractions, lactation, and stretch marks.

From The Daily Beast

Long-continued lactation—that is, beyond the physiological limit of about nine months—is especially a frequent cause.

From Project Gutenberg

Usually we may say this method fails of its purpose and pregnancy and lactation together work serious harm.

From Project Gutenberg

Lactation is sometimes prolonged for no better reason than the hope to avoid pregnancy.

From Project Gutenberg

In all probability she was infected during her last lactation.

From Project Gutenberg

As lactation progresses, they become thickened to nearly twice the original diameter.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• suction