pregnancy

[preg-nuhn-see]

noun

plural

pregnancies 

1. the state, condition, or quality of being pregnant.

pregnancy

/ ˈprɛɡnənsɪ /

noun

1. the state or condition of being pregnant

2. the period from conception to childbirth

pregnancy

1. The condition of carrying developing offspring within the body.

2. The time period during which this condition exists; gestation.

Other Word Forms

• postpregnancy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pregnancy¹

First recorded in 1520–30; pregn(ant) ¹ + -ancy

Example Sentences

But her heart is dying, the result of a rare and often fatal complication of pregnancy that disproportionately affects Black women.

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Women are affected far more often than men, in part because the immune changes that protect pregnancy can later make the immune system more likely to turn against the body.

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Her mother, who had her at 39, warned her about how much harder that late pregnancy was than her previous three.

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At first, medical professionals figured the test result might be tied to her pregnancy.

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They have lower rates of unplanned pregnancy and higher levels of education, on average, than women of older generations.

Read more on Salon