French word

accoucher

Pronunciation

IPA/akuʃe/

Meaning

  • verbgive birth

Example

Je vais accoucher demain.

I am going to give birth tomorrow.

Illustration for accoucher (give birth)

More examples

Elle a accouché hier d'un garçon en bonne santé.

Yesterday, she gave birth to a healthy boy.

Core concept

A baby passes from life inside the mother to life outside through the act of birth.

Common phrases

  • accoucher d'un bébé

    give birth to a baby

  • accoucher à l'hôpital

    give birth at a hospital

  • accoucher par césarienne

    deliver by cesarean section

Similar words

avoir: To have a baby, in the casual sense of becoming a parent.
donner naissance à: To give birth to a baby.

Definition in French

Mettre au monde un enfant; faire naître un bébé.

Word origin

The verb developed from Old French acouchier, formed with a- and coucher, "to lie down", and later acquired its childbirth meaning.

Usage tips

  • In modern French, accoucher is generally intransitive, so Elle a accouché un garçon is replaced by Elle a accouché d'un garçon.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word