menstrual

IPA/ˈmenstruəl/
KK[mˈɛnstruəl]IPA/ˈmenstruəl/

menstrual — adjective

  • menstrualpositive
  • more menstrualcomparative
  • most menstrualsuperlative

1. describing things that happen during the days each month when blood flows out of

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing things that happen during the days each month when blood flows out of a woman's body from inside her uterus, or related to that time.

Example

Élise tracks her menstrual cycle on a small calendar by her bed.

collocation: menstrual cycle (most frequent noun pairing)

Many girls in rural Kenya miss school because they cannot afford menstrual products.

collocation: menstrual products (sanitary items)

Common collocations
  • menstrual cycle
  • menstrual cramps
  • menstrual period
  • menstrual blood
  • menstrual flow
  • menstrual products
  • menstrual health
  • menstrual hygiene
Synonyms
  • monthly

    general everyday word; only 'monthly' loosely overlaps in phrases like 'monthly cycle', and lacks the clinical precision

  • catamenial

    highly technical medical synonym; rarely seen outside specialist texts

Grammar Patterns

menstrual + noun

Usage Note

Almost always attributive — appears directly before a noun (cycle, cramps, period, blood, flow, products, health, hygiene). Rarely used after 'be' on its own.

Common Mistakes

My pain is menstrual.
I am having menstrual pain.
'menstrual' modifies a noun; it is not used predicatively to describe a person or feeling.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • menstrual cycle
  • menstrual cramps
  • menstrual products
  • menstrual health

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Comes from the Latin word 'menstrualis', meaning 'monthly', which itself comes from 'mensis' (month). English picked it up in the late 14th century through Old French, and it has always carried the medical sense connected to a woman's monthly cycle.