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"pregnancy" in seven languages

Meaningpregnancy

Spanish

embarazo

/embaˈɾaθo/

masc.other source · Spanish embarazar 'to hinder', probably from Portuguese embaraçar

Also still 'hindrance, awkwardness' in formal Spanish; the medical word gravidez is rare.

French

grossesse

/ɡʁosɛs/

fem.other source · French gros 'big', from Late Latin GROSSUM 'thick'

Italian

gravidanza

/ɡraviˈdantsa/

fem.learned

Built on gravida 'pregnant', a learned word.

Portuguese

gravidez

/gɾaviˈdes/

fem.learned

Romanian

sarcină

/ˈsartʃinə/

fem.other source · Latin SARCINAM 'pack, burden'

Catalan

embaràs

/əmbəˈɾas/

masc.other source · embarassar 'to hinder', of disputed origin

English

pregnancy

/ˈpɹɛɡnənsi/

other source · Latin PRAEGNANTEM 'pregnant' + -cy

English → ItalianpregnancygravidanzaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: gravid, gravity, grave.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

GRAVIDAM‘heavy, laden; pregnant (from GRAVIS 'heavy')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Three different pictures: Italian gravidanza is being 'heavy' (GRAVIDA), French grossesse is being 'big' (gros), Spanish embarazo is being 'encumbered', the same embarazar that makes embarazada a trap for English speakers.

English relatives: gravid, gravity, grave

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esTuvo un embarazo tranquilo.
  • frElle a eu une grossesse facile.
  • itHa avuto una gravidanza tranquilla.
  • ptEla teve uma gravidez tranquila.
  • roA avut o sarcină ușoară.
  • caVa tenir un embaràs tranquil.
  • enShe had an easy pregnancy.

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