Meaning & use
enceinte
Last updated
Pregnant (a formal or dated term, borrowed from French).
See it in a sentence
The novel's narrator delicately notes that the countess was enceinte by the story's end.
Old records sometimes used 'enceinte' as a polite way to describe a woman's pregnancy.
A note on using this word
Enceinte is rarely used in modern everyday English; it survives mainly in older literature and formal or euphemistic writing. As a noun, it can also mean the wall or line of fortifications enclosing a place.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
A line of fortification or wall enclosing a place, such as a castle or town.
The old fortress's enceinte still stands, encircling the medieval town center.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “enceinte”, then compare your use with the examples above.