adjective
antenatal
an-tee-NAY-tul/ˌæntiˈneɪtl/
Occurring or existing before birth.
The clinic offers antenatal appointments for people preparing to give birth.
Etymology
Natalis makes birth the reference point, and ante- places something before it. Together they describe conditions or events during the period before birth.
In context
In the first trimester of pregnancy, she had visited the antenatal clinic of the hospital in Mumbai where I was doing residency.
So we identified pregnant women through the antenatal clinics
More examples
- She brings her questions to the next antenatal visit.
- The course discusses antenatal development.
- The brochure describes the hospital's antenatal services.
Similar words
- prenatal
- The more usual American term for the same period.
- obstetric
- Concerns pregnancy and childbirth more broadly, including delivery.