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Glite Dictionary
aplacental

aplacental

9.9
In animals, having no placenta during pregnancy
  • adjective
  • /ˌeɪpləˈsɛntəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : aplasentario
  • Marsupials are considered aplacental because they do not develop a true placenta.

Examples

  • Monotremes such as the platypus are aplacental mammals.

  • The study focused on reproductive differences between placental and aplacental species.

  • The aplacental species of fish reproduce differently.

  • Some reptiles are aplacental and lay eggs.

  • Marsupials are considered aplacental because they do not have a placenta.

  • Monotremes like the platypus are classified as aplacental mammals.

  • Research has shown that aplacental species reproduce in unique ways compared to placental animals.

Antonyms

placental
  • Specialized
5 7.0

Relating to the part inside a mother that feeds the baby before birth

Surface Forms

aplacental positive

Morphology

aplacental = placental (semi-transparent) = a + placenta + al

The meaning is directly 'not placental', but the negative medical prefix 'a-' is specialized and may be unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

Aplacental is made of the prefix a- meaning 'not' and placenta, the organ that feeds a baby inside the mother. The word placenta originally meant a 'flat cake' because of its shape, which gives an easy picture. So, aplacental means 'without a placenta'.