Definition

The time after a female animal has been in heat, during which she is not sexually active.

Example

After the mating season, the female dog enters metestrus and will not be receptive to males.

Conversation

I was reading about animal behavior, and I came across the term metestrus.

Oh really? What does that mean exactly?

It refers to the period of inactivity that follows estrus in some animals.

Got it! That's interesting to learn about their reproductive cycles.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Metestrus is formed from "meta-" (meaning after or beyond) and "estrus" (from Greek "oistros", meaning a state of sexual excitement or heat). The term refers to the period following the estrus cycle in animals, indicating the phase that comes after the heat period.

Memory Tip

Think of 'after' ('meta-') the 'heat' ('estrus') — that's why metestrus refers to the period after the mating season.

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