Pla-cĕn'tă, n.

n.; pl. PLA-CĒN'TÆ. [Lat. placenta, a cake, Gr. πλακοῦς, a flat cake, from πλακεῖς, flat, from πλάξ, πλακός, any thing flat and broad.]

1. (Anat.) The soft, spongy disk which connects the mother with the fetus in the womb. It is composed mainly of vascular tufts on the blood-vessels of the umbilical cord, which are surrounded by the mother's blood in the sinuses or cavities of the organ. Through the placenta the fetus respires and draws nourishment.
2. (Bot.) The part of a plant or fruit to which the seeds are attached.