Parturition
/ˌpɑːrtjʊˈrɪʃən/noun
The act or process of giving birth.
Did you know?Parturition comes from Latin parturire, “to be about to give birth,” which is built on the same root that gave English part and particle — a reminder that language once treated birth as a kind of “bringing forth” or dividing out.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to produce, bring forth, give birth”
Latin
Latin
parere
“to bring forth, bear, give birth”
Classical Latin
Latin
parturire
“to be about to give birth; to be in labor”
Late Latin
Latin
parturitionem
“childbirth, labor”
Middle English
English
parturicioun
“the act of giving birth”
Modern English
English
parturition
“the process of giving birth”