pregnant · adjective, noun1
- Latin · derived frompraegnāns“pregnant”
- Old French · derived frompreignant
- Middle English · inherited frompreignant
- English todaypregnant
From Middle English preignant, from Old French preignant, pregnant, also prenant (compare archaic Modern French prégnant), and their source, Latin praegnāns (“pregnant”), probably from prae- (“pre-”) + *gnāscī, an archaic form of nāscī (“to be born”). Displaced Old English bearnēacen (literally "child-enlarged").
pregnant · adjective2
- Latin · derived frompremere“to press”
- Middle French · derived frompregnant
- English todaypregnant
Apparently from Middle French pregnant, preignant (“pressing, compelling”), present participle of prembre (“to press”), from Latin premere (“to press”).
Words from the same roots
Latinpraegnāns all →
praegnans constructiopregnane
First known use, by meaning
- from 14th c. Compelling; clear, evident.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.