couvade

noun

cou·​vade kü-ˈväd 

: a custom in some cultures in which when a child is born the father takes to bed as if bearing the child and submits himself to fasting, purification, or taboos

Examples of couvade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The term couvade first appeared in a book by a British anthropologist, Edward Burnett Tylor, in 1865. —Ariel Ramchandani, The Atlantic, 3 June 2021

A lot of fringe theories have been put forward to explain couvade. —Ariel Ramchandani, The Atlantic, 3 June 2021

Brennan thinks hormonal study could be the most fruitful research area for trying to explain couvade. —Ariel Ramchandani, The Atlantic, 3 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, cowardly inactivity, from cover to sit on, brood over — more at covey

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

couvade

noun

cou·​vade kü-ˈväd 

1

: a custom in some cultures in which when a child is born the father takes to bed as if bearing the child and submits himself to fasting, purification, or taboos

2

: couvade syndrome