# pregnant



## AndrasBP

The most common Hungarian word for '_pregnant_' is *terhes*, which derives from the noun _teher_, meaning _load _or_ burden_. Because of its perceived negative connotation, some people try to avoid *terhes* and use *várandós *instead, which comes from the verb '_vár_' - _wait_, so the literal meaning is "expecting", which many say is 'nicer and more positive'.
I find it quite amazing that one of the Georgian words for '_pregnant_' is 'ორსული' /orsuli/, which is a compound of 'ორი' /ori - _two_/ and 'სული' /suli - _soul_/, so literally it means '_two-souled_'.

What about your (native or foreign) language(s)?


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## ilocas2

There's a thread on this topic in the Other Slavic languages subforum from good old days when this subforum was busy. 
All Slavic languages: Pregnant


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## franzjekill

AndrasBP said:


> Because of its perceived negative connotation, some people try to avoid *terhes* and use *várandós *instead


Talking about women, we would avoid the word *preñada* and use *embarazada, encinta, esperando familia *instead. *Grávida* may be more a medical term, I guess. *Esperando la cigüeña* is the most childish way to say it (waiting for the stork (from Paris) to deliver the baby).


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## AndrasBP

Thanks for the link, ilocas2. All the Slavic languages were exhausted back in 2009. Any non-Slavs out there?


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## Dymn

*Spanish*:
_embarazada: __en- +_ Portuguese or Leonese _baraço _"twine, noose" + _-ada _(p.p. ending)
_preñada _(slang): Latin _prae- _"before" + _gnata _"~ born"
_encinta _(old-fashioned): Latin _in-_ + _cincta _"surrounded, girded"
_grávida _(medical, rare): related to Latin _gravis _"heavy, burdened"


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## apmoy70

Greek:

The generic term is *«έγκυος»* [ˈeɲɟi.os] (fem.) < Classical fem. noun *«ἐγκύμων» ĕŋgúmōn* & *«ἔγκυος» éŋguŏs* --> _pregnant_ < prefix & preposition *«ἐν» ĕn* + deverbative 3rd declension neuter noun *«κύος» kúŏs* (nom. sing.), *«κύεος» kúĕŏs* (gen. sing.) --> _fœtus, embryo_ < Classical v. *«κυέω» kŭéō* & *«κύω» kúô* --> _to be_, or _become pregnant_ (PIE *ḱeu̯h₁- _to swell_ cf Skt. श्वयति (śvayati), _to increase, swell_, Lat. cumulus).

Οthers:
-*«Εγκυμονούσα»* [eɲɟimoˈnusa] (fem.) < Koine fem. deverbative Present participle *«ἐγκυμονοῦσα» ĕŋgŭmŏnoûsă* --> _to be with embryo_ < Κoine v. *«ἐγκυμονέω/ἐγκυμονῶ» ĕŋgŭmŏnéō* (uncontracted)/*ĕŋgŭmŏnô* (contracted) --> _to become pregnant_ < *«ἐν» ĕn* + *«κῦμα» kûmă* (neut.) alt. form of *«κύος» kúŏs* (neut.).
-*«Γκαστρωμένη»* [ŋgastroˈmeni] (fem.) aphetic of Byz. Gr. mediopassive Perfect participle *«ἐγγαστρωμένη» eŋgastrōménē* < *«ἐν» ĕn* + Classical 3rd declension fem. noun *«γαστήρ» găstḗr* (nom. sing.), *«γαστρός/γαστέρος» găstrós* & *găstérŏs* (gen. sing.) --> _belly, paunch, womb_ (of uncertain etymology).
«Γκαστρωμένη» is colloquial language, almost slang in MoGr --> _knocked-up_.
-*«Σε ενδιαφέρουσα κατάσταση»* [se enði.aˈfeɾusa kaˈtastasi] --> _(I'm/she's) in an interesting state/situation_ (often a simple *«σε ενδιαφέρουσα»* suffices). A euphemism of being pregnant.
-*«Κυοφορούσα»* [ci.ofoˈɾusa] (fem) --> _fœtus_ _bearer_ (used mostly for animals) < Koine mediopassive Present participle *«κυοφοροῦσα» kŭŏpʰŏroûsă* < deverbative 3rd declension neuter noun *«κύος» kúŏs* + Classical v. *«φέρω» pʰérō*.

Edit: Added term for animals (triggered by Sardokan's post below)


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## Sardokan1.0

*Sardinian :*


north : _ráida (from grávida -> gráida -> ráida)_
south : _pringia, prinza (from "pregna")_

The adjective ráida it's used only when speaking about women, instead speaking about animals the adjective used is "prossima". 

Examples :

_Cussa femina est ráida manna = That woman is in advanced pregnancy_
_Sas bervéghes sun prossimas = The sheeps are pregnant_

Also the verb used to translate "to give birth" is different if speaking about women or animals.


women : _illiberare, illierare, ilierare (northern Sardinian, I don't know in the south)_
animals :_ anzare_

Examples :

_Cussa femina s'est ilierada héris sero = That woman gave birth yesterday evening._
_Sas bervéghes han anzadu héris manzanu = The sheeps gave birth yesterday morning._


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## Kotlas

AndrasBP said:


> All the Slavic languages were exhausted back in 2009.


I've just added the Belarusian term to make the list  complete.
All Slavic languages: Pregnant


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## AndrasBP

Thank you for your replies, I appreciate the analyses and the etymologies.



Kotlas said:


> I've just added the Belarusian term to make the list complete.


Thank you and sorry, I overlooked Belarusian.


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## Armas

Finnish:

_raskas_ "heavy", only used in essive and translative case when it means pregnant: _olla raskaana_ "to be pregnant", _tulla raskaaksi_ "to become pregnant"
_odottava_ "expecting"
_paksu_ "thick" (colloquial), this too is used only in essive and translative when it means pregnant


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## jazyk

In Portuguese, the most common word is _grávida_, but p_renhe/prenha_ is also sometimes used (although it usually refers to animals), and apparently they also use _embuchada_ (from _bucho_, "belly, crop, craw, maw", in the Northeast of Brazil if Brazilian telenovelas are to be trusted. I've also heard someone _está de barriguinha_ (has a little belly) and _está esperando nenê_ (is expecting a baby), and I've encountered _embaraçada _once or twice, but only in old books.


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## Frieder

In *German* it's _schwanger_ (pregnant) and _Schwangerschaft _(pegnancy) which (according to _Kluge_) etymoligically derives from westgerm. _*swangra-_ "heavy, cumbersome".

It is the most neutral expression.

The more poetical and/or euphemistic expression is "sie ist guter Hoffnung" (lit.:"she is of good hope").
A more profane expression is "sie hat ein Brot im Ofen" (lit.:"she has a bread in the oven").


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## elroy

Arabic:
حامل: literally “carrying” (participle) 
حبلى: not sure what the etymology is


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## Welsh_Sion

*Cymraeg/Welsh

beichiog* 'burdened', 'laden' (noun: '*baich*')
*llawn* 'full' (cf. Lat. _plenus_)
*yn cario* 'carrying'
*yn disgwyl *'waiting', 'expectant'
*trom* 'heavy (fem.)'
*braisg* 'large', 'broad'

*Expressions for 'she's pregnant'*

*mae hi'n disgwyl* 'she's waiting/expecting'
*mae hi dan ei gofal* 'she's under her care'
*mae hi'n symgar* 'she's fleshy/bulky'
*mae hi'n magu mân esgyrn* 'she's rearing/breeding small bones'
*mae hi'n dorrog* 'she's "belly-ish" ' (Usually of animals, could be insulting of a human female)
*mae ganddi hi gig yn y popty* 'she's got meat in the oven' (cf. English ... 'a bun in the oven')
*mae hi wedi cael clec *'she's had a bang'
*mae swm mawr arni* 'she owes a lot of money'
*mae hi wedi llyncu corryn* 'she's swallowed a spider'


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## Yendred

French:

_*enceinte *_/ɑ̃.sɛ̃t/ (feminine adjective)
From Latin _incincta_, literally "_surrounded by a belt_".

_enceinte _is also a noun, which means _wall_ or _enclosure_.

Cognate with:


Dymn said:


> *Spanish*:
> _encinta _(old-fashioned): Latin _in-_ + _cincta _"surrounded, girded"


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## Trisia

Romanian:

*însărcinată -* from _sarcină _= load, burden. It hasn't really got a negative connotation as far as I can see.
*gravidă -* medical term but commonly used. In recent years I've noted a preference for the diminutive form "graviduță", which sounds silly
*borțoasă - *_with a large belly_ (*borț *= the belly of a pregnant woman, origin unknown). It sounds vulgar and disrespectful.

_Common descriptions/expressions:_
*cu burta mare* = _having a large belly_. Pretty rude.
*cu burta la gură* = with her belly [reaching all the way up] to her mouth. Very rude.

*viitoare mămică* = _future mommy_. Used to avoid any of the above.
*a rămâne grea* = to become heavy (though otherwise "a rămâne" = to remain, to stay, to not change)


_Uncommon ones:_
*burduhănoasă *= with a huge belly. Augmentative adjectival form of _burduf _(bellows, wineskin) -» _burduhan/burdihan_ = the stomach of a ruminant. This one can be used for anyone large-bellied, not necessarily due to pregnancy. You can find it (in Masc. form) in old folk tales, describing the mean old rich man that tries to marry the young peasant girl or otherwise oppress serfs.

_about the father:_
*i-a adăugit pântecele* = added [to] her belly
*a lăsa cu burta la gură* = to leave [a woman] with her belly to her mouth.


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## Welsh_Sion

For @Yendred - a true story.

My uncle, my aunt and my cousin were once invited to _souper_ with a very French, country family, located in a small _commune_ just north of Albi. After a wonderful meal taken from their own farm produce, the hosts asked them if they wanted anything more.

Obviously, much of the conversation up to that point had been through much sign language, gestures and guessing. My family's _français_ was fairly limited; the French family's English fairly non-existent.

So, my uncle decided that in his own interests that he was replete with all the good food and wine that he had consumed that night, he would be on safe grounds to say that, "I am full". Little did he realise the trap he was laying for himself when he informed the (subsequently chortling) French family, "_Je suis plein_".

This story has done the rounds in our family (and probably the French family, too) ever since it was first uttered in the summer of 1980. (And, yes, we _do_ know the significance by now ...)


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## Trisia

Welsh_Sion said:


> *mae swm mawr arni* 'she owes a lot of money'





> *mae hi wedi llyncu corryn* 'she's swallowed a spider'


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## Welsh_Sion

I might have misinterpreted the first - although it does mean that, too. Perhaps a better (literal) translation is, 'There's a big bulk on her' - not very elegant, however you read it!

But the second one, is a current one in South Wales - not least as us northerners use another term for 'a spider' in any case. (Why a spider? I have no idea!)


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## Yendred

Welsh_Sion said:


> Little did he realise the trap he was laying for himself when he informed the (subsequently chortling) French family, "_Je suis plein_".


 
Do you know that to convey the idea that we are replete with food, today we French would colloquially use the anglicism: "_je suis full_" 



Welsh_Sion said:


> *mae hi wedi llyncu corryn* 'she's swallowed a spider'


In the same vein, a colorful (and rather vulgar) French expression for "_she's pregnant_" is:
_Elle a un polichinelle dans le tiroir._
(literally: _she has a pulchinello in the drawer_)


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## Welsh_Sion

"_je suis full_"

Is this expression really à la mode with Frenchies? _Beurk !_


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## Yendred

Welsh_Sion said:


> "_je suis full_"


It's common, but the meaning can vary:
_I'm (over)booked, I'm replete, ..._



Welsh_Sion said:


> Is this expression really à la mode with Frenchies? _Beurk !_


I'm afraid it's not the only _à la mode _anglicism!
Put the blame on Anglo-American soft power


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## Penyafort

Catalan:

*prenyada* -- The most common one. Unlike the Spanish _preñada_, it is not regarded as an avoidable word. 

*prenys* -- A variant of the same origin, now literary, but the most common in Old Catalan literature.

*embarassada* -- Commonly heard these days but not in the past. The present high frequency must be due to influence from Spanish.

*encinta* -- Cognate to Spanish _encinta_ and French _enceinte_. Seen as formal.

*gràvida* -- Cognate to the other Romance languages. Seen as a formal or medical term.

*en estat* _or_ *en estat interessant* "in (interesting) state" -- Idiom, equivalent to 'expecting'.


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## alfaalfa

Ciao,
so many false friends in this thread.
_Sono pieno_> I'm full. I've done with the food.
_Sono imbarazzata> _ I'm embarrassed . We Italians are aware not to use the word "_imbarazzata_" talking with Spanish speakers.
_pregnante>_ full of meaning; significant or suggestive

Female animals: _gravida _(_incinta _too)
Women: _incinta _(_gravida _too, in medical jargon)
_In (stato di) gravidanza> _pregnancy
_In stato interessante
In attesa_ > waiting.
_In dolce attesa_> sweet waiting
_Sta aspettando un bambino/bebè_> she's waiting for a ...
_ _ _Avere il pancione _> pregnant belly


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## Azarosa

Tenemos en español "está en la dulce espera"...pero la verdad es que suena algo mojigato, típico de las pacatas revistas femeninas, que le quieren dar al estado un aura de romanticismo o idealismo que no tiene.


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## Demiurg

Frieder said:


> In *German* it's _schwanger_ (pregnant) and _Schwangerschaft _(pegnancy) which (according to _Kluge_) etymoligically derives from westgerm. _*swangra-_ "heavy, cumbersome".





elroy said:


> Arabic:
> حامل: literally “carrying” (participle)



There's also "trächtig" in German, related to "tragen" _(to carry_), but it's only used for animals.  (It's very derogatory if used for pregnant women.)


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## amikama

Hebrew:

*הרה *- lit. "pregnant"
*בהיריון *- lit. "in pregnancy"

Also *מעוברת *(of the same root as עובר = fetus), but it's more literary.


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