conceive

English

Etymology

From Middle English conceiven, from Old French concevoir, concever, from Latin concipere (“to take”), from con- (“together”) + capio (“to take”). Compare deceive, perceive, receive.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -iːv

Verb

conceive (third-person singular simple present conceives, present participle conceiving, simple past and past participle conceived)

1. (transitive) To develop an idea.
2. (transitive) To understand someone.
   • 1606, Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare, II-4

     We shall,

     As I conceive the journey, be at the Mount

     Before you, Lepidus.

3. ​(intransitive or transitive) To become pregnant.

   Assisted procreation can help those trying to conceive.

   She conceived a son.

Related terms

• conceivable
• conceiver
• concept
• conception

Translations

to develop an idea

• Albanian: mendoj (sq), krijoj (sq)
• Bulgarian: замислям (bg) (zamisljam)
• Czech: koncipovat (cs), vymyslet (cs), formulovat (cs)
• Dutch: (een idee) krijgen
• Finnish: kehitellä (fi), suunnitella (fi)
• German: konzipieren (de), erdenken (de), ersinnen (de)
• Hungarian: elképzel (hu), felfog (hu)
• Italian: concepire (it)

• Japanese: 思い付く (ja) (おもいつく, omoitsuku)
• Latin: concipio (la)
• Portuguese: conceber (pt)
• Russian: замышлять (ru) (zamyšljatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: zamisliti (sh)
• Spanish: concebir (es)
• Turkish: yaratmak (tr)

to understand someone

• Bulgarian: схващам (bg) (shvaštam), разбирам (bg) (razbiram)
• Czech: pochopit (cs)
• Danish: forstå (da)
• Dutch: (iemand) begrijpen
• Estonian: käsitama (et)
• Finnish: ymmärtää (fi)
• German: empfangen (de), verstehen (de)

• Hungarian: megért (hu)
• Italian: concepire (it)
• Latin: teneo (la)
• Mandarin: 理解 (cmn)
• Russian: понимать (ru) (ponimatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: shvatiti (sh)
• Spanish: concebir (es)
• Turkish: anlamak (tr)

to become pregnant

• Arabic: حبل (ar) (Hábila)
• Bulgarian: забременявам (bg) (zabremenjávam) impf., забременея (bg) (zabremenéja) pf.
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 懷孕 (cmn), 怀孕 (cmn) (huáiyùn), 懷 (cmn), 怀 (cmn) (huái), 有喜 (cmn) (yǒu xǐ) (euphemism and colloquial)

• Czech: počít (cs)
• Dutch: zwanger worden (nl)
• Estonian: rasestuma (et)
• Finnish: tulla raskaaksi (fi)
• French: concevoir (fr), tomber enceinte (fr)
• German: empfangen (de), schwanger werden (de)
• Hungarian: teherbe esik (hu)

• Italian: concepire (it)
• Japanese: 孕む (ja) (はらむ, haramu), 妊娠になる (ja) (にんしんになる, ninshin-ni naru), おめでたになる (ja) (omedeta-ni naru) (euphemism and colloquial)
• Maori: whakaira tangata (mi)
• Portuguese: conceber (pt)
• Russian: беременеть (ru) (berémenet') impf., забеременеть (ru) (zaberémenet') pf. (intransitive), зачать (ru) (začát') pf. (transitive) (e.g. зачать ребёнка - to conceive a child)
• Serbo-Croatian: začeti (sh)
• Slovene: zanositi (sl)
• Spanish: concebir (es)
• Turkish: gebe kalmak (tr), hamile kalmak (tr)

External links

• conceive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• conceive in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911