pregnancy
Americannoun
noun
-
the state or condition of being pregnant
-
the period from conception to childbirth
-
The condition of carrying developing offspring within the body.
-
The time period during which this condition exists; gestation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pregnancy
First recorded in 1520–30; pregn(ant) 1 + -ancy
Explanation
Pregnancy is the state of being pregnant, the time a woman grows a baby in her belly. For humans, pregnancy lasts about nine months, during which time the mother might want a chocolate chip and pickle sandwich. Get her one. Before a mother bear gives birth to a cub, or a mother cat has kittens, she goes through pregnancy. In humans, pregnancy is a time to prepare for a new baby while the mother-to-be does things like take special vitamins and choose a doctor or midwife to assist with the upcoming birth. Bears and cats just go for it. Pregnancy comes from the Latin praegnans, "with child" or "before birth," from prae-, "before," and gnasci, "be born."
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.
See Examples For:
And while we had different ways of getting to that goal, we sold teenagers on the idea that they should delay pregnancy so that they could accomplish their goals.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
It was during this era that the federal government began funding teen pregnancy prevention programs, and they have proven remarkably effective.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Previous research has shown that even mild inflammation in the middle of pregnancy can affect developing offspring.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Being of older maternal age, I found the pregnancy exhausting, and it was tiring keeping up with my child during his baby and toddler years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
It was August, and Edith was far along in her pregnancy.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Although most women experience one or more pregnancies during their lifetime, scientists are only beginning to understand how pregnancy influences the brain over the long term.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
The research also suggests that heat stress may increase the likelihood of adverse outcomes for the mother and child, particularly in higher-risk pregnancies.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Mammals rarely co-parent, as opposed to, say, fish—seahorse dads develop brood pouches during their pregnancies, boosted by the hormone prolactin—but humans are an exception.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
He specializes in treating high-risk pregnancies, from cases of eclampsia, hypertension, or gestational diabetes to patients with multiple fetuses.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
But Sourmelina and Desdemona, so synchronized in their pregnancies, diverged at the end.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
