toco-, toko-, toc-, tok-, -tocy, -toky, -tocia, -tokia, -tocous, -tokous +

The science or the branch of medicine that covers the subject area of childbirth; obstetrics; midwifery: The older term tokology deals with parturition and the care of the mother.

Inhibition of uterine contractions, usually using medical drugs: Janet had preterm labor and went to the hospital where the doctor told her that a tocolysis was necessary in order to suppress the labor movements and gave her a tocolytic, a special medication to prevent further contractions.

An anti-contraction medication; labor suppressant: Tocolytics are medications, such as ritodrine hydrochloride, that are used to arrest premature uterine contractions.

Concerning a drug that inhibits premature labor: Wendy was in hospital and had to undergo tocolytic therapy because her uterus was contracting at an early stage of pregnancy and had to be surpassed.

An excessive desire for childbirth: Ruth was pregnant for the first time and, since she was overly excited, she started buying clothes and other commodities after the first weeks of being expectant, and her friends thought she had a case of tocomania.

A tocodynamometer; In order for Dr. Thompson to know how Janet's labor contractions were progressing before giving birth to her baby, a tacometer, or pressure gauge, was fastened around Janet's abdomen.

A fat-soluble vitamin that is vital for normal reproduction: Tocopherol is any one of several related substances occurring naturally in certain oils and also prepared by synthesis that have vitamin E activity.

Tocopherol is an alcohol that makes up dietary vitamin E and found in such foods as wheat germ oil, cottonseed oil, lettuce, spinach, and egg yolks.

A woman who has an abnormal fear of childbirth: Janet was pregnant with her first baby and was totally afraid of labor and delivery and, as a tocophobiac, sought professional help from her gynaecologist.

An older term for childbirth, labor: When studying for her seminar, Tony learned that the word tocus used to be applied to the contraction of the uterine muscles during the process of giving birth to a baby.

The biological connection between a parent and a child: The relationships among individuals within a sexually reproducing species are known as "tokogenetic" relationships, and the graphical depictions of tokogeny are called geneologies or networks.

Tokogeny can also be described as the diachronic relationship through time between a parent and an offspring and therefore it is supposed to apply to asexual as well as sexual taxa, the reticulate (network) relationships among individuals.

Common characteristics in the tokogentic structure or system are called traits.