Definition of "laminaria" [‖Lam•i•na•ri•a]

• Any of a genus of kelp, applied to the opening of the cervix in order to stimulate dilation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "On the first day, doctors insert a dilator, often bundles of dried seaweed called laminaria, to soften a woman's cervix."
• "Because second-trimester abortions span multiple days during which the cervix is first softened by inserting bundles of dried seaweed called laminaria, a woman who has second thoughts can, in theory, backtrack."
• "The reporter gets one thing wrong: "laminaria" is not a drug."