NYT Dictionary
PLACENTA
/pləˈsɛntə/Nounpla-CEN-tapla-cen-ta · 3 syllablesGrade 7
Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2023
Meaning
An organ in most mammals during gestation that supplies food and oxygen to the foetus and passes back waste. It is on the wall of the uterus and links to the foetus through the umbilical cord. It is expelled after birth.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
Learned borrowing from New Latin placenta (literally “flat cake”), an ellipsis of phrases such as placenta uterī (literally “womb cake”) and placenta uterīna (literally “uterine cake”), because of the flat round shape of the afterbirth. Doublet of palacsinta and palatschinke.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 1 recorded puzzle, including a pangram: