womb
gb/wˈum/ us/wˈum/
B2
English
~ 8800
anyaméh, méh, bölcső
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
in the womb; inside the womb of [a woman or animal]
The baby was healthy and growing well in the womb.
A baba egészséges volt, és jól fejlődött az anyaméhben.
Smoking during pregnancy can harm the baby while it is still in the womb.
A terhesség alatti dohányzás árthat a babának, amíg az még az anyaméhben van.
She felt the baby kick inside her womb for the first time.
Twins can share the same womb but have very different personalities.
Modern scans let parents see their child in the womb long before birth.
Learner examples
The baby is still in the womb.
A baba még az anyaméhben van.
A baby grows in the womb for about nine months.
A baba körülbelül kilenc hónapig fejlődik az anyaméhben.
She put her hand on her womb and smiled.
Doctors can see the baby in the womb with a special camera.
Food and air from the mother help the baby in the womb.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "womb" with "stomach" or "belly". The womb is only the organ where a baby grows, not the whole area of the front of the body. Also, in medical or scientific writing, "uterus" is more common than "womb".
Meaning
uterus where a baby grows
Collocations
in the womb
|inside the womb
|mother’s womb
|from the womb
|the womb of a woman
|womb lining
Synonyms
uterus (More technical and medical; used in scientific or clinical contexts instead of everyday speech.)
Antonyms
outside (Describes being in the external world rather than inside the protective space of the womb.)
Themes
biology
|health
|family
|reproduction
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The part inside a woman’s body where a baby grows before it is born.
The organ inside a woman or female mammal where a baby develops before birth; the uterus.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
2
bölcső
B2
Usage pattern:
the womb of [something]
Some historians call ancient Mesopotamia the womb of civilization.
Egyes történészek az ókori Mezopotámiát a civilizáció bölcsőjének nevezik.
The project was born in the womb of a small community arts group.
A projekt bölcsője egy kis közösségi művészeti csoport volt.
These ideas were still in the womb of his imagination when he first arrived in the city.
Volcanic heat from deep in the womb of the earth shaped the island.
The novel explores how violence can grow in the womb of poverty and injustice.
Learner examples
People sometimes call a place the womb of culture when many new ideas start there.
Az emberek néha a kultúra bölcsőjének neveznek egy helyet, ha sok új ötlet születik ott.
The small town was the womb of his success.
A kisváros volt a sikere bölcsője.
These changes were still in the womb of history at that time.
The city is often seen as the womb of modern music.
New plans are still in the womb and not ready to show.
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use "womb" for any kind of home or safe place. In this figurative sense, it is mostly used in literary or poetic language for a powerful idea of beginning or creation, often in set phrases like "womb of time" or "womb of the earth".
Meaning
place where something begins
Collocations
the womb of time
|the womb of the earth
|the womb of history
|the womb of creation
Synonyms
cradle (Often used metaphorically in a similar way, but slightly more common than figurative "womb" and can sound less intense or mystical.)
Antonyms
grave (If a womb is seen as the place of beginning, a grave is the place of ending, so they act as symbolic opposites.)
Themes
origin
|metaphor
|history
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A poetic word for the place or time where something starts or is created.
A figurative place or state in which something is created, begins, or is first developed.
Grammar
Dictionary form
womb
IPA
GB/wˈum/
US/wˈum/
Syllables & stress
womb (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (womb)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: womb
- Plural: wombs
Word family
Forms
wombs
noun
Related words
uterus
noun
uterine
adjective
Advanced or less common
intrauterine
adjective
Expressions
from the womb to the tomb
1/fɹˈʌm ðə wˈum tə ðə tˈum/
idiom
literary
for an entire lifetime
From the time a person is born until the time they die; for their whole life.
Examples
- The charity promises support from the womb to the tomb.
- Some politicians talk about caring for citizens from the womb to the tomb.
in the womb
1/ˈɪn ðə wˈum/
fixed phrase
inside the uterus before birth
Inside a woman’s body, in the womb, before a baby is born.
Examples
- Doctors can now detect many health problems while the baby is still in the womb.
- Some parents choose not to know the baby’s sex when it is in the womb.
- Twins can start interacting with each other in the womb.
return to the womb
1/ɹɪtˈɚn tə ðə wˈum/
idiom
literary
want to go back to total safety
To want to go back to a very early, safe time in life, like a baby before birth, and escape adult problems.
Examples
- The film shows his desire to return to the womb and avoid all responsibility.
- In times of extreme stress, some people dream of returning to the womb.