maternal impression

noun

An effect supposedly produced on a child in the womb as a result of a powerful mental or physical influence on the mother; thought to explain birth defects etc. before the modern understanding of genetics.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounmaternal impression (plural maternal impressions)

plural maternal impressions

  1. historicalAn effect supposedly produced on a child in the womb as a result of a powerful mental or physical influence on the mother; thought to explain birth defects etc. before the modern understanding of genetics.
Cite this entry
APA

maternal impression. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maternal%20impression

MLA

“maternal impression.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maternal%20impression. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maternal impression,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maternal%20impression.

Source: maternal impression on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.