Advertisement

Origin and history of gestation

gestation(n.)

"action or process of carrying young in the womb," 1610s, earlier (1530s) "riding on horseback, etc., as a form of exercise," from Latin gestationem (nominative gestatio) "a carrying," noun of action from past-participle stem of gestare "bear, carry, gestate," frequentative of gerere (past participle gestus) "to bear, carry, bring forth" (see gest). Meaning "action or process of carrying young in the womb" is from 1610s.

also from 1610s

Entries linking to gestation

gest(n.)

"famous deed, exploit," more commonly "story of great deeds, tale of adventure," c. 1300, from Old French geste, jeste "action, exploit, romance, history" (of celebrated people or actions), from Medieval Latin gesta "actions, exploits, deeds, achievements," noun use of neuter plural of Latin gestus, past participle of gerere "to carry on, wage, perform," which de Vaan says is considered to be from the same root as agere "to set in motion, drive forward, do, perform" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move"). Now only as a deliberate archaism. Jest (n.) is the same word, with a decayed sense.

gestate(v.)

1847, a back-formation from gestation. Related: Gestated; gestating.

Advertisement

More to explore

maternity
1610s, "quality or condition of being a mother," from French maternité "motherhood" (15c.), from Medieval Latin maternitatem (nominative maternitas) "motherhood," from Latin māternus "of a mother," from māter "mother" (see mother (n.1)). Used from 1893 as a quasi-adjective in ref
empathize
practice of medicine; he will especially empathize the Homoepathic therapeutics so often called for during the period of gestation...
non-access
for sexual intercourse," as when a husband is out of the country in military service or at sea longer than the time of gestation...
labor
c. 1300, "a task, a project" (such as the labors of Hercules); later "exertion of the body; trouble, difficulty, hardship" (late 14c.), from Old French labor "toil, work, exertion, task; tribulation, suffering" (12c., Modern French labeur), from Latin labor "toil, exertion; hards
cleavage
1805, in geology and mineralogy, "tendency (of rocks or gems) to break cleanly along natural fissures," from cleave (v.1) + -age. General meaning "action or state of cleaving or being cleft" is from 1867. The sense of "cleft between a woman's breasts in low-cut clothing" is first
trouble
c. 1200, from Old French trubler, metathesis of turbler, torbler "to trouble, disturb; make cloudy, stir up, mix" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *turbulare, from Late Latin turbidare "to trouble, make turbid," from Latin turbidus (see turbid). Related: Troubled; troubling....c. 1200,
parity
1570s, "equality or equivalence of rank or status," from French parité (14c.) or directly from Late Latin paritas "equality," from Latin adjective par (genitive paris) "equal" (see par (n.)). Meaning "state or condition of being on a level" is from 1610s. Meaning "condition in wh
confinement
1620s, "state of being confined; any restraint by force, necessity, or obstacle," from French confinement (16c.; the Old French word was confinacion), from confiner "to border; to shut up, enclose" (see confine). As "restraint from going abroad by childbirth," perhaps a euphemism
term
c. 1200, terme "limit in time, set or appointed period," from Old French terme "limit of time or place, date, appointed time, duration" (11c.), from Latin terminus "end, boundary line," in Medieval Latin "expression, definition," related to termen "boundary, end" (see terminus).
construction
late 14c., construccioun, "act of construing; manner of understanding the arrangement of words in translation" (a sense now obsolete), from Latin constructionem (nominative constructio) "a putting or placing together, a building," noun of action from past-participle stem of const

Share gestation

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near gestation
Advertisement