couvade

[ koo-vahd; French koo-vad ]

noun

1. a practice among some peoples, as the Basques of Spain, in which a man, immediately preceding the birth of his child, takes to his bed in an enactment of the birth experience and subjects himself to various taboos usually associated with pregnancy.

couvade

/ kuvad; kuːˈvɑːd /

noun

1. anthropol a custom in certain cultures of treating the husband of a woman giving birth as if he were bearing the child

Word History and Origins

Origin of couvade¹

1860–65; < French (now obsolete), literally, a hatching, sitting on eggs, equivalent to couv ( er ) to hatch (< Latin cubāre to lie down) + -ade -ade ¹; covey

Word History and Origins

Origin of couvade¹

C19: from French, from couver to hatch, from Latin cubāre to lie down

Example Sentences

Those who would know more may consult an Encyclopaedia, under the heading ‘Couvade.’

From Project Gutenberg

The custom of the couvade, attributed by Strabo to the Cantabri, is unknown among the modern Basques.

From Project Gutenberg

These allusions always refer to the Béarnais, the dialect whence the word “couvade” is borrowed.

From Project Gutenberg

The custom of the Couvade may therefore perhaps be assigned to the early patriarchal stage.

From Project Gutenberg

The practice of couvade is said to exist among the Nicobarese, but we heard nothing of it during our visit.

From Project Gutenberg