prenatal
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prenatal
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Explanation
Use the adjective prenatal to describe something that happens prior to a baby's birth, like a special prenatal yoga class for pregnant women. The word prenatal has been around since the 1830s, mostly as a medical term to describe the state of a pregnant woman or her fetus. The word is made up of pre, "before" in Modern Latin, and natal, which comes from natus, Latin for "to be born." There are prenatal vitamins, prenatal exercise classes, and prenatal checkups — all for women who are expecting babies. Interestingly, an anagram for prenatal is parental.
Vocabulary lists containing prenatal
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: pre-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thorne sells supplements including creatine, prenatal vitamins, hormone supplements and other products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
According to the team, the findings add to evidence that prenatal estrogen may have played a positive role in the evolution of the human brain.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Our findings do not provide strong evidence that prenatal antidepressant exposure causes neurodevelopmental disorders.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
The parents of a five-year-old girl born with holes in her heart have stressed the importance of prenatal diagnoses after multiple scans failed to pick up her condition.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
Having endured six previous deliveries, she knew what to expect and thought she'd make the best of it without prenatal care.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
