enceinte

English

Etymology

From French enceinte.

Adjective

enceinte (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Pregnant.
   • 1909, James Anthony Froude et al., The Reign of Henry the Eighth, vol. I:

     And the time was pressing, for the new queen was enceinte, and further concealment was not to be thought of.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:pregnant

Noun

enceinte (plural enceintes)

1. An enclosure.
   • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 824:

     And so across the bridge and into the enceinte of the massive walls, threading their way towards the quarter where the morgue lay.

2. The line of works forming the main enclosure of a fortress.
3. The area or town enclosed by a line of fortification.
   • S. W. Williams

     The suburbs are not unfrequently larger than their enceinte.

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French

Etymology

From Latin incincta, feminine past participle of incingō. Compare Italian incinta, Spanish and Catalan encinta.

Pronunciation

• IPA: ɑ̃.sɛ̃t/

• audio

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Adjective

enceinte (invariable)

1. pregnant

Usage notes

The masculine form enceint is occasionally used, but is very rare because males don't get pregnant.

Noun

enceinte f (plural enceintes)

1. enclosure, compound
2. interior
3. speaker, amplifier

Verb

enceinte f

1. Feminine singular past participle of enceindre

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Old French

Adjective

enceinte f

1. pregnant