Meanings
nounfather-to-be (plural fathers-to-be)
plural fathers-to-be
- A male partner of a pregnant woman (mother-to-be), especially when she is pregnant for the first time.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*peh₂-?
- Proto-Indo-European*ph₂tḗr
- Proto-Germanic*fadēr
- Proto-West Germanic*fader
- Old Englishfæder
- Middle Englishfader
- Englishfather
- Englishfather-to-be
Translations
Basque aitagai
- aitagaimale partner of a pregnant woman
Chinese Mandarin 準爸爸 /准爸爸
- 準爸爸 /准爸爸 (zhǔnbàba)male partner of a pregnant woman
Finnish tuleva isä
- tuleva isämale partner of a pregnant woman
Cite this entry
APA
father-to-be. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/father-to-be
MLA
“father-to-be.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/father-to-be. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “father-to-be,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/father-to-be.
Source: father-to-be on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.