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Glite Dictionary
in oestrum

in oestrum

9.9
A female animal ready to mate and able to have babies
  • adjective
  • /ɪn ˈiːstrəm/
  • NSFW
translation icon : en celo
  • The male lion tracks down females in estrus by smelling their urine over vast areas.
  • doe in estrus
  • females in estrus

Examples

  • A whitetail cruises through his range, searching for a doe that is in estrus.

  • - She'll be in estrus a short time.

    The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)

  • The male lion tracks down females in estrus by smelling their urine over vast areas, and the first male that finds the female will mate with her.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Stallions compete for mating opportunities while the female is in estrus.

Synonyms

heat
vsin oestrum
  • Specialized
49 7.9

A time when a female animal is able to mate

is used for the receptive fertile state across female mammals generally
estrus
vsin oestrum
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A regular time when female mammals are ready to mate and able to become pregnant

is about being in the receptive fertile state rather than naming the period

Surface Forms

in oestrum positive
in estrus positive
in oestrus positive

Morphology

in + oestrum

The phrase is a simple composition of the preposition 'in' and a noun denoting a physiological state ('oestrum'), so its meaning 'in a state of sexual receptivity' is directly derivable from the parts. Although 'oestrum' is a technical/rare term, the preposition + state pattern is a common, transparent construction (cf. 'in heat'), so a learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

In oestrum was used by farmers and vets to say a female animal was in a state called oestrum, when she acts restless and is ready to mate. So, in oestrum means 'in heat' or 'sexually receptive'.