neonatal

American  

[nee-oh-neyt-l] / ˌni oʊˈneɪt l /

adjective

1. of or relating to newborn children.

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neonatal British  

/ ˌniːəʊˈneɪtəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to newborn children, esp in the first week of life and up to four weeks old

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Usage

What does neonatal mean? Neonatal is an adjective used to describe things related to newborn babies and their care.Neonatal is a technical term used in the context of medicine and healthcare. You’re most likely to see it used in terms like neonatal unit, neonatal care, and neonatal nurse, and in the names of certain medical conditions that affect newborns. Its noun form, neonate, is another word for a newborn.Example: My sister is a neonatal nurse who specializes in caring for newborns with certain health problems.

Other Word Forms

• neonatally adverb
• postneonatal adjective

Etymology

Origin of neonatal

First recorded in 1900–05; neo- + natal

Example Sentences

The woman was 7 months pregnant with the family’s third child, a girl, who died in a neonatal intensive care unit.

From Los Angeles Times

The girl, known as "Baby D" in the neonatal nurse's trial, died in June 2015.

From BBC

For three months, she spent each day in the neonatal intensive care unit.

From The Wall Street Journal

He was transferred to a specialist neonatal intensive care unit, but after discussions with clinicians, Eve and Thomas agreed to move him to palliative care.

From BBC

That is important for products used in the surgical theater and for neonatal care.

From Barron's