pregnant

¹ American  

[preg-nuhnt] / ˈprɛg nənt /

adjective

1. having a child or other offspring developing in the body; with child or young, as a woman or female mammal.

2. fraught, filled, or abounding (usually followed bywith ).

   a silence pregnant with suspense.

3. teeming or fertile; rich (often followed byin ).

   a mind pregnant in ideas.

4. full of meaning; highly significant.

   a pregnant utterance.

5. of great importance or potential; momentous.

   a pregnant moment in the history of the world.

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pregnant ² American  

[preg-nuhnt] / ˈprɛg nənt /

adjective

Archaic.

1. convincing; cogent.

   a pregnant argument.

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pregnant British  

/ ˈprɛɡnənt /

adjective

1. carrying a fetus or fetuses within the womb

2. full of meaning or significance

3. inventive or imaginative

4. prolific or fruitful

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Other Word Forms

• pregnantness
  noun
• pregnantly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of pregnant¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin praegnant- (stem of praegnāns ), variant of praegnās, equivalent to prae- pre- + *gnāt- (akin to ( g ) nātus born, gignere to bring into being) + -s nominative singular ending

Origin of pregnant²

1350–1400; Middle English preignant < Old French, present participle of preindre, earlier priembre to press ¹ < Latin premere. Cf. print

Explanation

If you are pregnant, you are carrying a developing baby in your body. If you are pregnant it is important to take excellent care of your health — it's good for tyou and good for the baby. Pregnant comes from Latin, and literally means "before giving birth" — prae-, like pre- means "before" and gnasci is a root that means "be born." Pregnant can also mean "filled with something," like inspiration or "rich in significance or implication," like your pregnant pause before answering your friend's question, "You like my new boyfriend, don't you?"

Related Words

• rich