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pregnant

PREG-nuhnt/ˈpɹɛɡnənt/

Noun pluralpregnants

7 meanings of pregnant

Practice

  1. 1
    adjective
    Having a baby growing inside the body, or, for a couple, waiting for their baby to be born.

    My aunt is pregnant, and the baby is due in May.

    The pregnant cat made a nest in the laundry basket.

    UsageSay get pregnant, or three months pregnant.

    Similarexpecting, expectant

  2. 2
    full of meaningadjective
    Full of meaning or possibility.

    There was a pregnant pause before she answered.

    The letter was short but pregnant with hope.

    UsageOften a pregnant pause, or pregnant with meaning.

    Similarmeaningful, significant, charged, loaded, fraught

    Oppositemeaningless, empty, insignificant

  3. 3
    person expectingnouncountable
    Someone who is going to have a baby.
    The Entbundenen, or those already delivered, are separate from those pregnants awaiting their accouchement
    1843, William Robert Wilde, Austria: Its LiteraryHere, pregnants means women who are pregnant.
    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–4, 6–7

From Latin praegnāns, meaning 'pregnant', probably from prae- ('pre-') plus an old form of the word meaning 'to be born'. It came into English through Old French.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  • Pregnant ultimately derives from Latin praegnāns, meaning pregnant. en.wiktionary.org
  • Its probable Latin formation combines prae- with an older form meaning to be born. cld.bbaw.de
  • The word entered English through Old French. en.wiktionary.org
Meaning 5

From a French word meaning 'pressing' or 'compelling', from Latin premere, 'to press'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  • This sense derives from a French word meaning 'pressing' or 'compelling'. en.wiktionary.org
  • The French word ultimately derives from Latin premere, meaning 'to press'. en.wiktionary.org