gravidity

IPA/ɡɹavˈɪdɪti/
IPA/ɡɹævˈɪdᵻɾi/

gravidity — noun

1. the medical state of carrying a developing baby in the womb; a clinical term use

1.nounC2
Definition

the medical state of carrying a developing baby in the womb; a clinical term used by doctors and researchers instead of the everyday word 'pregnancy'.

Example

Gabriel's textbook described how gravidity affects blood pressure during the second trimester.

academic register: 'gravidity affects ...'

The midwife asked about Antonia's gravidity before reviewing her medical chart.

clinical context: asking 'about gravidity'

Common collocations
  • recorded gravidity
  • history of gravidity
  • gravidity and parity
Synonyms
  • pregnancy

    the everyday word; same meaning but used in all registers, not just medical.

  • gestation

    focuses on the process of the baby growing in the womb, often with a time period (e.g. 'gestation lasts nine months').

  • gravidness

    rare formal variant of gravidity; almost interchangeable but even less common in modern texts.

Grammar Patterns

uncountable noun

Usage Note

Almost only used in medical writing, hospital records, and research papers. In everyday talk, English speakers say 'pregnancy' instead. Subject of the verb is usually an institution, researcher, or clinical record, not a regular person.

Common Mistakes

My sister told me about her gravidity at dinner.
My sister told me about her pregnancy at dinner.
'gravidity' is a clinical term, not used in casual family conversation.
She has a gravidity.
She is pregnant.' or ✅ 'Her gravidity was recorded as positive.
'gravidity' is uncountable and does not take 'a'.

2. the total number of times a woman has been pregnant, counted by obstetricians re

2.nounC2
Definition

the total number of times a woman has been pregnant, counted by obstetricians regardless of whether each pregnancy ended in birth, miscarriage, or termination.

Example

Élise's chart noted her gravidity as four, although only two pregnancies reached full term.

gravidity as [number] — counting all pregnancies

The obstetrician asked about Tanvi's gravidity and parity at the first appointment.

paired with 'parity' (number of births)

Common collocations
  • high gravidity
  • gravidity and parity
  • G[number]P[number] notation
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • parity

    not a true antonym but the paired clinical concept: parity counts births, gravidity counts pregnancies.

Grammar Patterns

gravidity + number (gravidity 3)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this counts pregnancies as a number, while sense 1 names the state itself. Doctors often write 'G4P2' (gravidity 4, parity 2). The number includes every pregnancy regardless of outcome, which is what separates it from 'parity' (births only).

Common Mistakes

Her gravidity was successful.
Her pregnancy was successful.
gravidity-2 names a count, so it cannot be 'successful' or 'failed'.
gravidity of three children
gravidity of three
the count refers to pregnancies, not children born.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe the state of carrying a baby, but they live in different registers. 'Pregnancy' is the all-purpose everyday word — used by patients, families, and medical staff alike. 'Gestation' zooms in on the biological process of the fetus developing inside the womb, often with a stated time period: doctors and biology textbooks say 'a gestation of nine months' or 'gestation period'. 'Gravidity' is the most technical of the three; obstetricians use it in clinical notes and research papers, especially paired with 'parity' to track a patient's reproductive history. A pregnant friend would tell you about her pregnancy; her obstetrician would record her gravidity. Compare: 'She is in her third pregnancy' (everyday) vs. 'Her gravidity is three' (clinical chart).

gravidity ↗pregnancy ↗gestation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • gravidity and parity
  • gravidity number
  • gravidity score

Phrases

  • high gravidity
  • low gravidity
  • recorded gravidity

Prepositions

  • gravidity of [number]
  • history of gravidity

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed into English from Latin 'graviditas', the noun form of 'gravidus' meaning 'heavy' or 'laden with child'. The Latin root 'gravis' (heavy) is the same one we see in English words like 'grave', 'gravity', and 'aggravate'. English picked up the related adjective 'gravid' in the 1500s; the noun 'gravidity' followed soon after for medical and scientific writing.