Estrous
/ˈɛstrəs/noun
Relating to the period of sexual receptivity in female mammals.
Did you know?Estrous comes from Greek oistros, a word that could mean a gadfly, a maddening sting, or the frenzy it drives—so the term is tied to both bodily cycles and a kind of possessed agitation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eis- / *h₂eyst-
“To rush or be excited; a base associated with agitation and movement.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
οἶστρος (oistros)
“A gadfly; a sting; a driving frenzy or maddening impulse.”
Late Latin
Latin
oestrus
“A gadfly; heat or frenzy, especially a state of wild excitation.”
Middle English
English
estrus / oestrus
“A state of sexual heat in female animals.”
Modern English
English
estrous
“Pertaining to estrus or the reproductive heat cycle in mammals.”