praegnans constructio

UK/ˈpʰɹeɪɡ.nænz‿kɒnˈstɹʊk.tiː.oʊ/

noun

A construction commonly found in Greek and Hebrew in which either a verb of motion is paired with a locative prepositional phrase or a static verb is paired with an allative preposition phrase.

“"I attacked the dog into the fire" employs a rough form of praegnans constructio.”

OriginLatin cōnstructiō →
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Meanings

nounpraegnans constructio (uncountable)

alternative constructio praegnans · alternative constructio praegans · alternative praegans constructio

  1. uncountableA construction commonly found in Greek and Hebrew in which either a verb of motion is paired with a locative prepositional phrase or a static verb is paired with an allative preposition phrase.

    "I attacked the dog into the fire" employs a rough form of praegnans constructio.

Origin

  1. Latinpraegnāns“pregnant”
  2. Latincōnstructiō“a grammatical construction”
  3. Englishpraegnans constructio

From Latin cōnstructiō (“a grammatical construction”) and Latin praegnāns (“pregnant”).

More words from Latin

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Cite this entry
APA

praegnans constructio. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/praegnans%20constructio

MLA

“praegnans constructio.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/praegnans%20constructio. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “praegnans constructio,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/praegnans%20constructio.

Source: praegnans constructio on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.