The Wordsmith Dictionary

Exact matches only Allow stemming Match all embedded

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

OESTRUS

OEs "trus, n. Etym: [L., a gadfly; also, frenzy, fr. Gr.

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of gadflies. The species which deposits its larvæ in the nasal cavities of sheep is oestrus ovis.

2. A vehement desire; esp. (Physiol.), the periodical sexual impulse of animals; heat; rut.

New American Oxford Dictionary

oestrus

oes trus |ˈestrəs | ▶noun chiefly Brit. variant spelling of estrus.

Oxford Dictionary

oestrus

oestrus |ˈiːstrəs, ˈɛstrəs |(US estrus ) ▶noun [ mass noun ] a recurring period of sexual receptivity and fertility in many female mammals; heat: a mare in oestrus . DERIVATIVES oestrous adjective ORIGIN late 17th cent.: from Greek oistros ‘gadfly or frenzy ’.