oestrus

/ˈiːstrəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈestrəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈes-trəs ˈēs-/ (ame, mw)

oestrus — noun

1. the stage in a female animal's reproductive cycle when she can become pregnant a

1.名詞C2
釋義

the stage in a female animal's reproductive cycle when she can become pregnant and will mate with a male; the British spelling of estrus, used mostly when talking about cows, horses, dogs, and other non-human mammals.

例句

The dairy farmer watched closely for signs that his cows were coming into oestrus.

collocation: come into oestrus

Female cats in oestrus often cry loudly at night and rub against furniture.

pattern: in oestrus (state description)

同義詞
  • estrus

    the American spelling; same meaning

  • heat

    informal everyday term, especially for dogs and cats ('the dog is in heat')

  • rut

    used of male deer, sheep, and goats during the mating season, not the female cycle

反義詞
  • anoestrus

    the resting phase between oestrus periods, when the animal is not fertile

文法句型

in oestrus

come into oestrus

用法筆記

Uncountable; appears mostly in veterinary, zoology, and animal-husbandry contexts. Standard collocations are 'in oestrus' (during the period) and 'come into oestrus' / 'enter oestrus' (begin the period). Rarely used of humans — for the parallel human cycle, writers say 'ovulation' instead.

常見錯誤

❌The woman was in oestrus during her ovulation week.
✅The woman was ovulating during that week of her cycle.
💡oestrus describes non-human female mammals; for humans use 'ovulation' or 'fertile window'.
❌She had two oestruses last spring.
✅She came into oestrus twice last spring.
💡oestrus is uncountable; describe repetition with verbs or time phrases, not a plural noun.