Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Variant of estrus.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A gadfly; a breeze.
- n. A vehement urging; a stimulus; an incitement.
- n. [capitalized] The typical genus of Œstridæ. It is now restricted to small species with short, thin, weak legs, very large head, large thorax with short sparse hairs, appearing naked and silvery, and a peculiar venation of the wings. The larvæ infest the nasal passages and frontal sinuses of cattle, sheep, goats, and other hollow-horned ruminants; they pupate underground. Œ. ovis is the bot-fly of the sheep, now found all over the world. See cut under
sheep-bot . - n. The climax or height of the period of sexual desire in female mammals. This is preceded by the procestrum and followed by the metœstrum.
Wiktionary
- n. A biting fly of the genus Oestrus; a botfly.
- n. A bite or sting.
- n. A passion or frenzy.
- n. A female animal's readiness to mate; heat, rut.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A genus of gadflies. The species which deposits its larvæ in the nasal cavities of sheep is œstrus ovis.
- n. A vehement desire.
- n. The periodical sexual impulse of animals; the period during which female animals are most receptive to males; heat; rut.
WordNet 3.0
- n. applies to nonhuman mammals: a state or period of heightened sexual arousal and activity
- n. type genus of the Oestridae: sheep botflies
- n. applies to nonhuman mammals: a state or period of heightened sexual arousal and activity
Examples
“What does it matter if adults can only see a pair of bifurcated mobile phones, with Mandeville's eye-catching groin definition creepily hinting at of mascottian oestrus or, possibly, a urinary tract infection?”
The Guardian: The pitiful Olympic mascots sum up this sorry affair
“Naftolin, A, et al. Neuronal membrane remodeling during the oestrus cycle: a freeze-freacture study in the arcuate nucleus of the rat hypothalemus.”
The Huffington Post: T.S. Wiley: Estrogen Dilemma: There Is No Dilemma When You Know the Details
“I didn't even know that dogs menstruated, or estrated -- make that "underwent estrus" (or is it oestrus?).”
“The theory of human oestrus remains controversial because its effects are subtle; human females show none of the distinct genital swellings seen in other female mammals “in heat”.”
“He says the changes in the female voice during peak fertility support the view that women are “different” at that point in the menstrual cycle – in other words, that they experience oestrus.”
“Guilt's malignancy stalks a gas-lit shadow-dance upon the walls, perversity arouses oestrus in the embers of our trance; magic moments muted in taut breath are crushed in weighted consequence, discretion flees the night to heighten senses steeped in self-pity, drowned in self-indulgence.”
“I didn't even know that dogs menstruated, or estrated--make that "underwent estrus" or is it oestrus?”
“The ceryx and the purple murex have this organ firm and solid; and just as the myops, or horse-fly, and the oestrus, or gadfly, can pierce the skin of a quadruped, so is that proboscis proportionately stronger in these testaceans; for they bore right through the shells of other shell-fish on which they prey.”
“From the flat animalcule that skims over the surface of rivers comes the oestrus or gadfly; and this accounts for the fact that gadflies most abound in the neighbourhood of waters on whose surface these animalcules are observed.”
“Effect of lunar cyclicity on oestrus rhythmicity in the Indian water buffalo.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘oestrus’.
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UK Usage - Find US Equivalent
All these terms have a (different) American English equivalent. Wonder if you can identify them?
abridgement (abri..., accoutrement, accoutre, acknowledgement (..., opposite, advert, adaptor, adapter, sticking plaster, advertise, adviser (advisor ..., adze, aesthete and 1196 more...
yarb "In some ways, it appears, the balladist wasn't a bad guy ... aside from an uncontrollable oestrus he turned out to have for neighbourhood-grocers' wives, and one or two low incidents in consequence, Mike had no trouble with him whatever..."
- W.M. Spackman, Heyday Dec 22, 2011