| amniotic sac | <anatomy, obstetrics> Sac, enclosing the embryo of amniote vertebrates, that provides a fluid environment to prevent dehydration during development of land based animals. See: amnion. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| amniotome | An instrument for puncturing the foetal membranes. Origin: amnio-+ G. Tome, cutting (05 Mar 2000) |
| amniotomy | Artificial rupture of the foetal membranes as a means of inducing or expediting labour. (05 Mar 2000) |