puerperal

[ pyoo-ur-per-uhl ]

/ pyuˈɜr pər əl /

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adjective

of or relating to a woman in childbirth.

pertaining to or connected with childbirth.

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Origin of puerperal

First recorded in 1760–70, puerperal is from the New Latin word puerperālis of childbirth. See puerpera, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM puerperal

post·pu·er·per·al, adjective

Words nearby puerperal

Pueblos, puerile, puerilism, puerility, puerpera, puerperal, puerperal eclampsia, puerperal fever, puerperal metritis, puerperal psychosis, puerperal septicemia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use puerperal in a sentence

Puerperal, pū-ėr′pėr-al, adj. relating to childbirth—also Pūer′perous.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
In epidemics of puerperal fever this form of erysipelas has been specially found to prevail.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various
Poison was of course suspected; but her death was really caused by puerperal convulsions (eclampsia).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various
The whole of the preceding remarks apply even more to children and to puerperal women than to patients in general.
Notes on Nursing|Florence Nightingale

Mental disturbances and morbid impulses associated with pregnancy or the puerperal state may be dispelled in the same way.
Insomnia; and Other Disorders of Sleep|Henry M. Lyman

British Dictionary definitions for puerperal

puerperal

/ (pjuːˈɜːpərəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or occurring during the puerperium

Word Origin for puerperal

C18: from New Latin puerperālis relating to childbirth; see puerperium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for puerperal

puerperal

[ pyōō-ûr′pər-əl ]

adj.

Relating to, connected with, or occurring during childbirth or the period immediately following childbirth.