Contraceptives

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Devices or drugs used to stop pregnancy from occurring
2. Techniques or products designed to block or reduce the chance of fertilization
3. Means of birth control that help avoid conception through various physical or chemical ways

Etymology: "Contraceptives" is the plural of "contraceptive," a word built in the twentieth century from two existing parts: the prefix "contra-," meaning "against," and "conceptive," meaning "relating to conception." Put together, the pieces describe something that works against conception. The "contra-" element traces back through Latin "contrā," which meant "against" or "opposite," itself descended from an ancient root that also gave rise to words for "opposite" and "in front of." The second element, "conceptive," comes from the Latin verb "concipere," "to take in, conceive," a word that ran from physical ideas of taking something inside to the mental sense of forming a thought. English has used "conceptive" in the sense of capable of conceiving for centuries, so the newer coinage simply attached a familiar stem to a familiar prefix. The related noun "contraception" was formed the same way, and the two words grew up together as the practice of preventing pregnancy became a subject of open discussion. The plural form refers to the whole category of such methods rather than to any single one.

Synonyms: birth control, preventatives, contraception, family planning, prophylactics

Antonyms: fertility, conception, pregnancy, reproduction, procreation