Antenatally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner relating to the period before birth or during pregnancy; concerning the time before an infant's birth; pertaining to prenatal development or care
2. Relating to events or conditions occurring prior to childbirth; involving the prenatal stage; associated with the time before delivery of a baby
3. Describing processes or occurrences that happen before birth; connected with the prenatal phase; focused on the period while the fetus is still in the womb

Etymology: Antenatally is a plain formation: the adjective "antenatal" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached. "Antenatal" is itself built from "ante-", meaning "before", and "natal", relating to birth, so the whole word means "before birth" in its most literal sense. The adverb simply describes something done or occurring in that prenatal period, as in a screening carried out antenatally. The suffix has a long pedigree. It descends from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form", which developed into a suffix meaning "having the appearance or quality of" and was eventually reduced to the simple adverbial ending found in Old English as "-līce" and later in Middle English as "-ly". That same ending turns countless adjectives into adverbs, so "antenatally" follows an ordinary pattern rather than an unusual one.

Synonyms: prenatally, before birth, before delivery

Antonyms: postnatally, after birth, after delivery