Meaning & use
primiparous
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparablemedical
Giving birth for the first time, or having had only one pregnancy that resulted in birth.
Grammar: A technical word, often used before a noun: a primiparous mother.
Patterns
- a primiparous woman
- a primiparous cow
The midwife explained that primiparous mothers often have a longer labor.
Studies compared primiparous women with those who had several children.
A primiparous cow may need extra care at calving time.
adjectivenot comparablebiologytechnical
Describing a female animal that is giving birth, or has given birth, to her first offspring.
Grammar: Often used in veterinary writing: primiparous sows.
Patterns
- primiparous sows
- primiparous mares
Primiparous sows produced smaller litters than older sows.
The vet monitored the primiparous mare closely.
Milk yield in primiparous cows is usually lower than in mature cows.
Common combinations
- primiparous women
- Primiparous women were included in the trial.
- primiparous mother
- A primiparous mother may feel unsure about breastfeeding.
- primiparous cow
- The primiparous cow calved without trouble.
- primiparous sow
- A primiparous sow needs a calm pen.
- primiparous patients
- Primiparous patients were advised to attend a class.
Synonyms and how they differ
- first-time
- First-time is an everyday phrase for a first-time mother, and is far less technical than primiparous.
- nulliparous
- Nulliparous describes a woman who has never given birth, which differs from primiparous, who has done so once.
- primigravid
- Primigravid refers to a first pregnancy, while primiparous refers to giving birth the first time.
Opposites
Word family
- primipara noun
- a woman or female animal giving birth for the first time
- primiparity noun
- the state of having given birth once
- multiparous adjective
- having given birth more than once
- parity noun
- the number of times a woman has given birth
Commonly confused: primiparous or primigravida? primiparous or primitive?
primiparous vs primigravida
A primigravida is a woman in her first pregnancy, whereas a primipara has given birth once.
primiparous vs primitive
Primitive means ancient or simple and has no link to birth, though the two share the Latin root for first.
Practice
A doctor describes a woman delivering her first baby as _____.
Choose one answer.
Primiparous means giving birth for the first time. Multiparous means several births, and nulliparous means never having given birth.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “primiparous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.