Etymology: < Middle French pregnant with child, pregnant (especially of an animal) (13th cent. in Old French; for earlier forms see note below; French prégnant ; now archaic), (of a word) full of meaning (a1585), and its etymon classical Latin praegnant-, praegnāns with child, pregnant, swollen, (as noun) pregnant woman, in post-classical Latin also imaginative, inventive (6th cent.), compelling, cogent (1267, c1380 in British sources), variant (after the ending of present participles; compare -ant suffix¹) of praegnāt- , praegnās (Plautus), probably < prae- pre- prefix + the stem of gnāscī (past participle gnātus ) to be born, although the exact nature of the formation is not clear. Compare Italian pregnante with child (a1320), having an implicit meaning (a1606). Attested earliest in figurative use in sense A. 1, which is apparently not attested in other languages so early as in English; compare also pregnant adj.², with which there is frequently semantic overlap in this sense.Compare Old French preinz (c1170), Old French, Middle French prains , preins (both 13th cent.), apparently < an unattested post-classical Latin form *praegnes or *praegnis , as also are Old Occitan prein (a1159; Occitan prens , prenh ), Catalan prenys (1249 as preyns ), Portuguese prenhe (13th cent.); compare also (apparently < a post-classical Latin form *praegnus ) Italian pregno (c1225). Compare also pregnate adj. and the Romance parallels cited at that entry.

Etymology: Apparently < Middle French, French pregnant, †preignant compelling, pressing (although this is apparently first attested considerably later: 1572), use as adjective of present participle of †prembre to press (end of the 11th cent. in a gloss in Rashi; also priembre (c1150)) < classical Latin premere to press (see press v.¹), unless originally a specific sense development of pregnant adj.¹ (probably subsequently reinforced by association with the French word).The word has apparently been associated in sense with pregnant adj.¹ from an early date, and the two words are frequently difficult to distinguish; compare the following examples, and also e.g. quot. 1582, or quots. c1680, 1753 at pregnant adj.¹ 1a:a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1965) II. 79 This autorite [sc. holy scripture] is richt fair and prignant and [etc.].1592 G. Harvey Foure Lett. iv. 55 Pregnant Rules auail much: but visible Examples amount incredibly.1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus iv. i. 1546 I will shew you a place in Littleton, which is verye pregnant in this point. In the passage rendered in quot. a1425, Boccaccio's Il Filostrato has Italian vero argomento.

Etymology: < pregnant adj.¹