pseudopregnancy

noun

pseu·​do·​preg·​nan·​cy ˌsü-dō-ˈpreg-nən(t)-sē How to pronounce pseudopregnancy (audio)
1
2
: an anestrous state resembling pregnancy that occurs in various mammals usually after an infertile copulation
pseudopregnant adjective

Examples of pseudopregnancy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As a result, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, headquartered in Front Royal, Virginia, became a leader in giant panda estrus, breeding, pregnancy, pseudopregnancy and cub development. Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2020 The panda had been experiencing a pseudopregnancy — where a panda has behavioral and hormonal reactions that mimic an actual pregnancy — over the past several months, officials said. Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2019 The National Zoo should know by the end of August whether panda Mei Xiang is experiencing pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 7 Aug. 2019 Some species, however, go through a strange phase called a pseudopregnancy, which looks just like a real pregnancy except there is no fetus. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2017 A panda that is undergoing a pseudopregnancy does everything pregnant pandas do. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pseudopregnancy was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near pseudopregnancy

Cite this Entry

“Pseudopregnancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pseudopregnancy. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

pseudopregnancy

noun
pseu·​do·​preg·​nan·​cy ˌsüd-ō-ˈpreg-nən-sē How to pronounce pseudopregnancy (audio)
plural pseudopregnancies
: a condition which resembles pregnancy: as
b
: an anestrous state resembling pregnancy that occurs in various mammals usually after an infertile copulation
pseudopregnant adjective

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