gravid

adjective

grav·​id ˈgra-vəd How to pronounce gravid (audio)
1
: pregnant
gravid mares
2
: distended with or full of eggs
a gravid fish
gravidity noun

Did you know?

When Should You Use gravid?

Gravid comes from Latin gravis, meaning "heavy." It can refer to a female who is literally pregnant, and it also has the figurative meanings of pregnant: "full or teeming" and "meaningful." Thus, a writer may be gravid with ideas as she sits down to write; a cloud may be gravid with rain; or a speaker may make a gravid pause before announcing his remarkable findings.

Examples of gravid in a Sentence

the patient is a gravid woman in her seventh month
Recent Examples on the Web Unlike young females, gravid females need to locate carrion for oviposition and distinguish between fresh and aging carrion, the latter possibly detrimental to offspring. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2017 Paloski said the massasauga encountered could be a gravid female about to give birth. Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2022 Jay enlisted artist Lukas Geronimas to DJ after dinner, smoothing out what usually ends up as an ad hoc dance party with tipsy guests fighting over the aux cord while those too gravid with barbeque to dance sip ginger ale and watch. Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2022 Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar opened in early August, the week of the Sturgeon Moon, which is when the Algonquins believed the Great Lakes teemed with gravid fish. Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, 27 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gravid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin gravidus, from gravis "heavy" + -idus, adjective suffix — more at grave entry 2

Note: Latin adjectives with the suffix -idus regularly correspond to nouns ending in -or and/or verbs of the second conjugation, sometimes with a secondary verbal derivative with the inchoative suffix -ēsc-. The word gravidus does not fit this pattern and anomalously appears to be derived directly from a more basic adjective, though the grounds for such a process may be the existence of gravēscere "to become weighed down, become pregnant," from which gravidus may have been created by a sort of back-formation. On the other hand, gravidus is attested significantly earlier than gravēscere.

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gravid was in 1597

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near gravid

Cite this Entry

“Gravid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gravid. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

gravid

adjective
grav·​id ˈgrav-əd How to pronounce gravid (audio)

Medical Definition

gravid

adjective
grav·​id ˈgrav-əd How to pronounce gravid (audio)
Last Updated: - Definition revised
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!