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estrous

American  
[es-truhs] / ˈɛs trəs /

adjective

Zoology.
  1. relating to or involving the period of maximum sexual receptivity of a female mammal.


Etymology

Origin of estrous

First recorded in 1895–1900; see origin at oestrous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The rats were still fertile, but they had a longer estrous cycle, lower ovarian weight, and fewer pups than normal rats.

From Science Daily • Dec. 22, 2023

There are, however, male dogs that show a lifelong indifference to estrous females and never have heterosexual sex.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2013

At the sanctuary, they presented sixteen adult female koalas while they were in estrous with auditory playback of bellows recorded from five different males.

From Scientific American • Dec. 6, 2012

The result fits with previous studies which found that mice with mutations in genes that regulate their circadian rhythms, the body's timekeeper, have irregular estrous cycles and more pregnancy failures.

From Science Magazine • May 23, 2012

We expect Baez to produce a litter exactly 110 days after this estrous period; that is the length of the gestation interval in this species.

From New York Times • Jul. 19, 2011