pregnant1
- having a child or other offspring developing in the body; with child or young, as a woman or female mammal.
- fraught, filled, or abounding (usually followed by with): a silence pregnant with suspense.
- teeming or fertile; rich (often followed by in): a mind pregnant in ideas.
- full of meaning; highly significant: a pregnant utterance.
- of great importance or potential; momentous: a pregnant moment in the history of the world.
Origin of pregnant1
pregnant2
- convincing; cogent: a pregnant argument.
Origin of pregnant2
Related Words
richabundantenceinteexpectantexpectingfecundfertilefraughtfruitfulheavyhopefulproductiveprolificrepleteteeminggravidparturientanticipatingparouspreggersExamples from the Web for pregnant
Contemporary Examples
Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
I was pregnant, uncomfortably so, for the first time and with twins, due the following March.
He beat me every day, even when I was seven months pregnant.
A dark minivan quickly fills with pregnant women and those carrying infants.
The language of this bill is a de facto abortion ban for most pregnant federal prisoners.
Historical Examples
His tone was pregnant with alarm, though he strove to make it merely complaining.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
And that Madame Gaudron was pregnant again; this was almost indecent at her age.
L'AssommoirEmile Zola
Like the calm of the heavens when pregnant with thunder was the calm of that crowd.
The Suitors of YvonneRaphael Sabatini
Let us put our pride in our pockets for a moment and try to answer that pregnant question.
The MissionaryGeorge Griffith
It was a wild wintry scene, pregnant with cold and hardship.
Submarine Warfare of To-dayCharles W. Domville-Fife
pregnant
- carrying a fetus or fetuses within the womb
- full of meaning or significance
- inventive or imaginative
- prolific or fruitful
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for pregnant
adj.2
"convincing, weighty, pithy," late 14c., "cogent, convincing, compelling" (of evidence, an argument, etc.); sense of "full of meaning" is from c.1400. According to OED from Old French preignant, present participle of preindre "press, squeeze, stamp, crush," from earlier priembre, from Latin premere "to press" (see press (v.1)). But Watkins has it from Latin praehendere "to grasp, seize," and in Barnhart it is from Latin praegnans "with child," literally "before birth" and thus identical with pregnant (adj.1).
adj.1
"with child," early 15c., from Latin praegnantem (nominative praegnans, originally praegnas) "with child," literally "before birth," probably from prae- "before" (see pre-) + root of gnasci "be born" (see genus).
Retained its status as a taboo word until c.1950; modern euphemisms include anticipating, enceinte, expecting, in a family way, in a delicate (or interesting) condition. Old English terms included mid-bearne, literally "with child;" bearn-eaca, literally "child-adding" or "child-increasing;" and geacnod "increased." Among c.1800 slang terms for "pregnant" was poisoned (in reference to the swelling).
pregnant
(prĕg′nənt)- Carrying developing offspring within the body.