adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P R IY0 N EY1 T AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Being or happening before birth.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
Holonym: perinatal
prenatal care
prenatal vitamins
prenatal exposure
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: antenatal
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A person who is expecting to give birth.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A dietary supplement to be taken by somebody expecting to give birth.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
She was recommended a course of zinc prenatals.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective
Meaning 4
occurring or existing before birth
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the prenatal period
antenatal care
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: antenatal, antepartum
Antonyms: perinatal, postnatal
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh2- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh2i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh1- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h1tós Proto-Italic *gnātos Latin gnātus Latin nātus Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin nātālisbor. Middle English natal English natal English prenatal From pre- + natal.
Across languages
Translations
28 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
paralindje
— being or happening before birth
Bulgarian:
предшестващ раждането
(predšestvašt raždaneto)
— being or happening before birth
Catalan:
prenatal
— being or happening before birth
Chinese Cantonese:
產前 /产前
(caan2 cin4)
— being or happening before birth
Hakka Chinese:
產前 /产前
(sán-chhièn)
— being or happening before birth
Chinese:
產前 /产前
(sán-chêng)
— being or happening before birth
Chinese Mandarin:
產前 /产前
(chǎnqián)
— being or happening before birth
Czech:
prenatální
— being or happening before birth
Finnish:
syntymää edeltävä
— being or happening before birth
Finnish:
prenataali
— being or happening before birth
Finnish:
prenataalinen
— being or happening before birth
French:
prénatal
— being or happening before birth
Georgian:
დაბადებამდელი
(dabadebamdeli)
— being or happening before birth
Georgian:
პრენატალური
(ṗrenaṭaluri)
— being or happening before birth
Georgian:
ანტენატალური
(anṭenaṭaluri)
— being or happening before birth
German:
pränatal
— being or happening before birth
German:
präpartal
— being or happening before birth
Italian:
prenatale
— being or happening before birth
Italian:
antenatale
— being or happening before birth
Northern Kurdish:
pêşzayînê
— being or happening before birth
Māori:
pirikōpū
— being or happening before birth
Polish:
prenatalny
— being or happening before birth
Polish:
przedporodowy
— being or happening before birth
Polish:
przedurodzeniowy
— being or happening before birth
Portuguese:
pré-natal
— being or happening before birth
Romanian:
prenatal
— being or happening before birth
Romanian:
de până la naștere
— being or happening before birth
Spanish:
prenatal
— being or happening before birth
