Crossword clues for cervix
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Cervix \Cer"vix\, n.; pl. E. Cervixes, L. Cervices. [L.] (Anat.) The neck; also, the necklike portion of any part, as of the womb. See Illust. of Bird. [1913 Webster] ||
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
early 15c., "ligament in the neck," from Latin cervix "the neck, nape of the neck," from PIE *kerw-o-, from root *ker- (1) (see horn (n.)). Applied to various neck-like structures of the body, especially that of the uterus (by 1702), where it is shortened from medical Latin cervix uteri (17c.). Sometimes in medical writing 18c.-19c. cervix of the uterus to distinguish it from the neck sense.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context anatomy English) The neck 2 The necklike portion of any part, as of the womb. 3 The lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagin
WordNet
n. the part of an organism that connects the head to the rest of the body; "he admired her long graceful neck" [syn: neck]
necklike opening to the uterus [syn: uterine cervix, cervix uteri]
[also: cervices (pl)]
Wikipedia
The cervix or cervix uteri () is the lower part of the uterus in the human female reproductive system. In a non-pregnant woman, the cervix is usually 2 to 3 cm long (~1 inch) and roughly cylindrical in shape. The narrow, central cervical canal runs along its entire length, connecting the uterine cavity and the lumen of the vagina. The opening into the uterus is called the internal os, and the opening into the vagina is called the external os. The lower part of the cervix, known as the vaginal portion of the cervix (or ectocervix), bulges into the top of the vagina. The cervix has been documented anatomically since at least the time of Hippocrates, over 2,000 years ago.
The cervical canal is a passage through which sperm must travel to fertilize an egg cell after sexual intercourse. Several methods of contraception, including cervical caps and cervical diaphragms aim to block or prevent the passage of sperm through the cervical canal. Cervical mucus is used in several methods of fertility awareness, such as the Creighton model and Billings method, due to its changes in consistency throughout the menstrual period. During vaginal childbirth, the cervix must flatten and dilate to allow the fetus to progress along the birth canal. Midwives and doctors use the extent of the dilation of the cervix to assist decision-making during childbirth.
The cervical canal is lined with a single layer of column-shaped cells, while the ectocervix is covered with multiple layers of cells topped with flat cells. The two types of epithelia meet the squamocolumnar junction. Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause changes in the epithelium, which can lead to cancer of the cervix. Cervical cytology tests can often detect cervical cancer and its precursors, and enable early successful treatment. Ways to avoid HPV include avoiding sex, using condoms, and HPV vaccination. HPV vaccines, developed in the early 21st century, reduce the risk of cervical cancer by preventing infections from the main cancer-causing strains of HPV.
A cervix or collum is a neck, that is, a narrowed region of an object (such as a body or a body part). In anatomy, various body parts are called necks, with the neck (of the body) and the neck of the uterus (the uterine cervix) being major examples. A list of examples includes:
- Neck, the narrowed region of the body between the torso and the head
- Uterine cervix, usually just called the cervix when the context is implicit
- Cervix vesicae urinariae, the neck of the urinary bladder
- Cervix cornus dorsalis medullae spinalis or cervix cornus posterioris medullae spinalis, the neck of the posterior grey column (the posterior horn of the spinal cord)
- Cervix dentis, the neck of a tooth (a slightly narrowed area where the crown meets the root, such as on a molar tooth)
Usage examples of "cervix".
Lusk mentions a case of pregnancy with fibrocystic tumor of the uterus occluding the cervix.
Deliberately Jarred arched his spine, probing the mouth of her cervix hard enough to make her writhe at the blend of pain and pleasure.
The cervix uteri, or neck of the womb, is supplied with but few nerves of sensation, and is almost as destitute of sensation as the finger or toe nails, the paring of which causes not the slightest pain.
Zap and you have cancer of the cervix, rotting ovaries, one of those female things, and it metastasizes overnight and you come apart, turning into a puddle of stinking fluids in the county hospital.
He injected her in several locations, explaining to her that he was giving her a para cervical block to anesthetize the cervix.
The doctor, who was way overworked, even admitted that had Florence been seen right away, and had a stitch put in her cervix, she would have kept the baby.
Through the rectal wall I gripped the uterine cervix, then I worked along the right horn.
But as I groped through the open cervix into the uterus I felt a growing astonishment.
She knew that to cannulate the fallopian tubes, the cervix had to be dilated, and dilating the cervix was excruciatingly painful.
The Pap test examines cells from the cervix, or the mouth of the womb, located at the top of the vagina.
It took her the better part of a day to flow ovaries, fallopian tubes, a uterus, cervix, and vulva and to rearrange her vagina.
She explained to both me and Jack that this first stage of labor involved the dilation of the cervix, the birth canal.
And the muscle fibers in the central canal of her cervix, which ought to be softening in anticipation of labor, are still tough.
In my case, about all the cutting that was planned was the removal and storage of the male genitalia, and their replacement with a vagina, cervix, uterus, and set of fallopian tubes and ovaries which were even then being messengered over from the organ bank, where they'd reposed since my last Change.
Furthermore, in view of the locking action of the male member in the cervix, we can imagine the danger of the male and female reproductive organs becoming cross-threaded during the heat of romance, resulting in the lovers being unable to separate themselves after completing the act.