What is the origin of 'sleep tight'?
Read moreOne of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
noun
mass nounarchaicThe action of giving birth to a baby.
- ‘Ayurveda has very beautifully described the accouchement ward where the mother of the child is to be kept after delivery.’
- ‘People in Anatolia resort to a number of practices, to protect against the mother or baby-snatcher, who is believed to live in stables, haylofts, mills, deserted ruins, wells, water sources and places where women in accouchement and newborn babies are left alone.’
childbirth, birth, birthing, delivery, nativityView synonyms
Origin
Late 18th century: French, from accoucher ‘act as midwife’, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + coucher ‘put to bed’ (see couch).
