Etymology
From pregnant from Middle English preignant, from Old French preignant, pregnant, also prenant (compare archaic Modern French prĂ©gnant), and their source, Latin praegnÄns (âpregnantâ), probably from prae- (âpre-â) + *gnÄscÄ«, an archaic form of nÄscÄ« (âto be bornâ) +â -cy.
Noun
pregnancy (countable and uncountable, plural pregnancies)
- (countable) The condition of being pregnant; an instance of this.
- News that the duchess is in the "very early stages" of pregnancy was officially released today
- The period of time this condition prevails.
- (uncountable) The progression of stages from conception to birth.
Derived terms
- ectopic pregnancy
- mask of pregnancy
- phantom pregnancy
- pregnancy test
Related terms
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here: