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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Everything, Everything
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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.
After years of progress, fewer pregnant Americans are getting prenatal care in the first weeks of pregnancy — or getting access to care at all.
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026
Per the CDC analysis, first-trimester prenatal care increased from 77.1 percent in 2016 to 78.3 percent in 2021.
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026
When prenatal estrogen levels are higher relative to testosterone, the index finger tends to be longer than the ring finger.
From Science Daily • Feb. 10, 2026
Nearly half of women, 41%, reported that their prenatal and delivery costs were higher than they expected.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026
Dr. McNally testified that Mrs. Colbey’s pregnancy was at high risk for "unexplained fetal death" because of her age and lack of prenatal care.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
