# conception

Pronunciation: say "kuhn-SEP-shuhn" US/UK /kənˈsɛpʃən/, AUS /kənˈsepʃən/

## Noun

1. A product of thought or imagination, such as an idea, mental image, plan, or design.
   - Simple: An idea, picture, or plan that you form in your mind.
   - _The architect's conception of the museum blended glass with natural stone._
   - _Early conceptions of the universe placed Earth at the center._
2. The start of pregnancy: the point at which a woman becomes pregnant.
   - Simple: The moment when a pregnancy first begins inside the body.
   - _Folic acid is recommended in the weeks around conception._
   - _The clinic counts gestational age from the likely date of conception._
3. The formation of a zygote when a sperm fertilizes an egg.
   - Simple: When a sperm and an egg join together to form a new cell.
   - _Conception occurs when a single sperm penetrates the ovum._
   - _The textbook describes the cellular events that follow conception._
4. The mind's capacity to grasp or form ideas, to recall past sensations or perceptions, and to think in abstractions.
   - Simple: The power of the mind to form ideas and remember past feelings.
   - _Strong powers of conception allowed her to grasp abstract theories quickly._
   - _Memory and conception together let the mind recall and reshape past impressions._
5. The act or process of forming something (an idea, plan, or design) in the mind.
   - Simple: The act of forming an idea or plan in the mind.
   - _The conception of the symphony came to the composer during a long walk._
   - _From its conception, the campaign aimed to reach younger voters._
6. The state of being conceived; the point at which something first comes into being.
   - Simple: The earliest beginning of something, when it first comes into being.
   - _The festival has grown enormously since its conception a decade ago._
   - _Critics attacked the policy from its very conception._
7. The formation of a conceptus, or of an embryo that has implanted in the uterus.
   - Simple: The growing of a tiny early embryo after it attaches inside the womb.
   - _Embryologists may locate conception at the point of successful implantation._
   - _Adequate progesterone supports conception by maintaining the uterine lining for implantation._

## Origin

This word came through Middle English concepcioun from Old French conception, from Latin conceptiō (meaning a comprehending, a collection, an expression, and also a becoming pregnant), based on concipiō, past participle conceptus, 'to conceive'. It is equivalent to conceive plus -tion.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/conception (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).