prenatal
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prenatal
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Explanation
Use the adjective prenatal to describe something that happens prior to a baby's birth, like a special prenatal yoga class for pregnant women. The word prenatal has been around since the 1830s, mostly as a medical term to describe the state of a pregnant woman or her fetus. The word is made up of pre, "before" in Modern Latin, and natal, which comes from natus, Latin for "to be born." There are prenatal vitamins, prenatal exercise classes, and prenatal checkups — all for women who are expecting babies. Interestingly, an anagram for prenatal is parental.
Vocabulary lists containing prenatal
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 22–October 28, 2022
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: pre-
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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.
Plaintiff lawyer Ashley Keller said, “The Court of Appeals agreed that our experts’ analyses of the voluminous research linking prenatal acetaminophen exposure to neurodevelopmental disorders is reliable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Our findings do not provide strong evidence that prenatal antidepressant exposure causes neurodevelopmental disorders.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
But she added prenatal diagnoses "could have changed our story all together".
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
Higher levels of prenatal insecticide exposure were directly associated with more significant alterations in brain structure, function, and metabolic health.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2026
In human populations exposed to urethane or related chemicals there is a possibility that tumors will develop in infants through prenatal exposure, as Dr. Hueper has warned.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
