Gravid vs pregnant

[xhexdx]

I ran a search on dictionary.com but found nothing conclusive...I'm hoping someone here has a better souce of information.

I'm looking to know what specifies an animal as being gravid vs being pregnant, or if the two are in fact synonymous.

I also ran a search on here for 'gravid vs pregnant' and found nothing, so if anyone has a link where this has been previously covered, that would be great as well.

Thanks!

--Joe

 

[DrJ]

Actually, the two are pretty much the same thing. It's just a matter of using the "correct" terminology for the situation. I think "gravid" is the more precise, scientific term used for animals and "pregnant" is the modernized version used primarily with humans and domesticated animals such as dogs and cats, even though gravid would be acceptable.

 

[xhexdx]

Ah. I figured gravid was used primarily with inverts and pregnant more with mammals. I guess that would still leave out reptiles/birds/fish, etc.

 

[Le Wasp]

I call pregnant women in our entomology department "gravid"

Actually, gravid has implications of burden or heaviness, so it's probably something we should reserve for animals with less self-esteem issues.

 

[Travis K]

I call pregnant women in our entomology department "gravid"

Actually, gravid has implications of burden or heaviness, so it's probably something we should reserve for animals with less self-esteem issues.

VERY TRUE, and Very Wise

 

[DrJ]

Actually, gravid is always used with reptiles, birds and fish. You may be right in that pregnant is only used with reptiles though....guess it may be the sociality of "self-esteem" onto animals. I would think a bird would be more sensitive than a monkey though. :? lol. But, gravid is the more correct terminology and has even been used with mammals. It's just the commonplace modernization of the english language that people say "pregnant" instead of gravid.

Ah. I figured gravid was used primarily with inverts and pregnant more with mammals. I guess that would still leave out reptiles/birds/fish, etc.

 

[xhexdx]

Do you happen to have any links that support this? I need proof.

 

[DrJ]

Basically read any scientific article related to pregnancy in animals and it will usually state the animal as being gravid, even mammals.

See use of gravid in following:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/behavior/maintext.htm
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/78/9/1954.pdf

It's more of something you see when you are in the scientific arena...the use of gravid compared with pregnant. To my knowledge, there has never really been any article claiming the correct usage of one versus the other. One just has to be exposed to the differences to start understanding I think. And, that is that gravid is the scientific terminology and pregnant is the commonplace. Does that make sense? It's sort of like saying Tarantula instead of Theraphosidae. Both are correct, but Theraphosidae is the scientific terminology that you are likely to see in more scientific journals, whereas the Tarantula term is used more commonly and can better relate to the public. Hope this helps.

 

[xhexdx]

Yep, that makes sense. Thanks!

 

[DrJ]

Haha! No problem. Glad I could help!

 

[Snipes]

I thought gravid meant "full of eggs" so a human female would be always gravid, but not always pregnant. We have eggs inside of us but tarantulas need to make the eggs.

 

[jen650s]

From Dictionary.com

gravid \GRAV-id\, adjective:
Being with child; heavy with young or eggs; pregnant.

preg·nant
–adjective 1. having a child or other offspring developing in the body; with child or young, as a woman or female mammal.
2. fraught, filled, or abounding (usually fol. by with): a silence pregnant with suspense.
3. teeming or fertile; rich (often fol. by in): a mind pregnant in ideas.
4. full of meaning; highly significant: a pregnant utterance.
5. of great importance or potential; momentous: a pregnant moment in the history of the world.


From this pregnant means many things including gravid. However, gravid just means heavy with young.