Hypertext Webster Gateway: "oestrus"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
OEstrus \[OE]s"trus\, n. [L., a gadfly; also, frenzy, fr.Gr. ?
gadfly; hence, sting, fury, insane desire, frenzy.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of gadflies. The species which deposits
its larv[ae] in the nasal cavities of sheep is {[oe]strus
ovis}.
2. A vehement desire; esp. (Physiol.), the periodical sexual
impulse of animals; heat; rut.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
oestrus
n 1: applies to nonhuman mammals: a state or period of heightened
sexual arousal and activity [syn: {estrus}, {heat}, {rut}]
[ant: {anestrus}]
2: type genus of the Oestridae: sheep botflies [syn: {Oestrus},
{genus Oestrus}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.