Standard Lemma guide

lochia

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈlɒ.kɪ.ə/
  • General-American: /ˈloʊ.ki.ə/
  • General-American: lō'kē-ə
  • General-American: lŏk'ē-ə
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Normal post-partum vaginal discharge; blood, mucus, and placental tissue that are discharged from a female's vagina (similar to menstruation) for several weeks after she has given birth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • 1921, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, published by the American Gynecological Society On the fifth day the coryza, cough and rash were all improved, but the patient was irrational; the lochia were thin, watery and odorless; ...
  • 1924: The Canadian nurse, published by the Canadian Nurses' Association Check lochia and change sterile pad. If the patient's pulse is under 90, the fundus is firm and the lochia is normal, the patient may be left at the end ...
  • 1927, The Indian Veterinary Journal, published by the Indian Veterinary Association In one Magra ewe which gave birth to twins, lochia continued for 8 days ...
  • 1946: Nicholson Joseph Eastman and Emil Novak, Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey By the fifth day, however, the lochia was normal in most of the patients and in only 4 patients was it heavy.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

substance discharged from the vagina (cellular debris and mucus and blood) that gradually decreases in amount during the weeks following childbirth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: liquid body substance, bodily fluid, body fluid, humor, humour

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lochia, from Ancient Greek λοχεία (lokheía), neuter plural of λοχείος (lokheíos, “of childbirth”), from λόχος (lókhos, “childbirth”).

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 惡露 /恶露 (èlù) — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Czech: lochie — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Czech: očistky — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Dutch: kraamvloed — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Dutch: lochia — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • French: lochies — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • German: Wochenfluss — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • German: Lochien — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Indonesian: nifas — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Indonesian: lokia — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Japanese: 悪露 (oro) — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Kazakh: ақ кір (aq kır) — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Latvian: lochia — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Lithuanian: lochijos — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Portuguese: lóquios — post-partum vaginal discharge
  • Spanish: loquios — post-partum vaginal discharge