Standard Lemma guide

menses

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.

  • /ˈmɛn.siːz/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The discharge of blood and cellular tissue that flows from the inner lining of the uterus out through the vagina, occurring typically once a month in uninseminated women; a menstrual flow.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause--Hippocrates--Aristotle

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation
  • a woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped
  • the semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: menstruation, menstruum, catamenia, period, flow

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discharge, emission, expelling

Narrower terms: menorrhagia, hypermenorrhea, oligomenorrhea

History

Etymology

From Latin mēnsis (“month”), the plural being mēnsēs (“months”), corresponding to the approximately month-long span of the menstrual cycle. Compare month.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: менструация (menstruacija) — menstrual flow
  • Burmese: မီးယပ် (mi:yap) — menstrual flow
  • Burmese: ဥတု (u.tu.) — menstrual flow
  • Burmese: ရာသီ (rasi) — menstrual flow
  • Chinese Mandarin: 月經 /月经 (yuèjīng) — menstrual flow
  • Chinese Mandarin: 經血 /经血 (jīngxuè) — menstrual flow
  • Dutch: menstruatie — menstrual flow
  • Finnish: kuukautisvuoto — menstrual flow
  • Finnish: kuukautiset — menstrual flow
  • French: règles — menstrual flow
  • French: menstruations — menstrual flow
  • French: menstrues — menstrual flow
  • Greek: έμμηνα (émmina) — menstrual flow
  • Greek: καταμήνια (katamínia) — menstrual flow
  • Ancient Greek: ἄφεδρος (áphedros) — menstrual flow
  • Hawaiian: kahe — menstrual flow
  • Hindi: पुष्प (puṣp) — menstrual flow
  • Hindi: रज (raj) — menstrual flow
  • Italian: mestruazioni — menstrual flow
  • Japanese: 月経血 (gekkeichi) — menstrual flow
  • Japanese: メンス (mensu) — menstrual flow
  • Latin: menstruum — menstrual flow
  • Māori: totorewa — menstrual flow
  • Māori: mate marama — menstrual flow
  • Māori: tahe — menstrual flow
  • Old English: mōnaþblōd — menstrual flow
  • Polish: krwawienie miesięczne — menstrual flow
  • Spanish: menstruo — menstrual flow
  • Spanish: menstruación — menstrual flow