couvade

English

Etymology

From French couvade (“brooding”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuːˈvɑːd/, /kuːˈvæd/

Noun

couvade (countable and uncountable, plural couvades)

1. A practice among some peoples, such as the Basques, of the husband of a woman in the last stages of pregnancy taking to bed, avoiding certain foods, or imitating other behaviours of a pregnant woman.
2. Sympathetic pregnancy: the involuntary sympathetic experience of the husband of symptoms of his wife's pregnancy, such as weight gain or morning sickness.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ku.vad/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

couvade f (plural couvades)

1. couvade (Basque tradition)
2. couvade (sympathetic pregnancy)

Related terms

• couver

Further reading

• “couvade”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.