womb

[ woom ]

noun

1. the uterus of the human female and certain higher mammals.
2. the place in which anything is formed or produced:

   the womb of time.

3. the interior of anything.
4. Obsolete. the belly.

womb

/ wuːm /

noun

1. the nontechnical name for uterus uterine
2. a hollow space enclosing something, esp when dark, warm, or sheltering
3. a place where something is conceived

   the Near East is the womb of western civilization

4. obsolete.
   the belly

womb

/ wo̅o̅m /

1. See uterus

Derived Forms

• ˈwomblike, adjective
• wombed, adjective

Other Words From

• wombed adjective
• un·womb verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of womb¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English: belly, womb; cognate with Dutch wam, German Wamme, Gothic wamba belly; wamus

Word History and Origins

Origin of womb¹

Old English wamb; related to Old Norse vomb, Gothic wamba, Middle Low German wamme, Swedish våmm

Example Sentences

Another discovery showed how the human skeleton forms in the womb in the weeks after conception.

From BBC

A few days later she had an operation, at which point doctors told her there was a risk the cancer had spread to her womb.

From BBC

The condition - where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it - has left her with permanent organ damage.

From BBC

She told the Sunday Mirror her battles with money started after she was diagnosed with womb cancer in 2015, which meant she had to walk away from her acting career.

From BBC

Endometriosis is where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body.

From BBC

Related Words

• belly
• entrails
• innards