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Dictionary Language resources

couvade

Syllabification: (cou·vade)

Pronunciation: /ko͞oˈväd/

Definition of couvade

noun

the custom in some cultures in which a man takes to his bed and goes through certain rituals when his child is being born, as though he were physically affected by the birth.

Origin:

mid 19th century: French, from couver 'to hatch', from Latin cubare 'lie down'. The adoption of the term in French was due to a misunderstanding of the phrase faire la couvade 'sit doing nothing', used by earlier writers