lactation

/lækˈteɪʃən/

/lækˈteɪʃən/

Other forms: lactations

When a mammal produces milk to feed her young, the process is called lactation. It's lactation that allows a mother pig to nurse her adorable piglets.

Lactation is one of the basic things all mammal mothers have in common. After giving birth, humans and other mammals naturally start the process of lactation, the amazing ability to provide all the nutrition a newborn baby needs. The word lactation comes from a Latin word root meaning "milk."

Definitions of lactation

1. noun

   the production and secretion of milk by the mammary glands
   type of:

   activity, bodily function, bodily process, body process

   an organic process that takes place in the body
2. noun

   the period following birth during which milk is secreted
   “lactation normally continues until weaning”

   type of:

   period, period of time, time period

   an amount of time
3. noun

   feeding an infant by giving suck at the breast
   synonyms: suckling

   type of:

   alimentation, feeding

   the act of supplying food and nourishment