conceive

Conceive is a verb with several related meanings. In general use, it can mean to form or develop an idea, plan, or concept in the mind, or to imagine something. It also has a biological meaning: to become pregnant, that is, to conceive a child.

From Latin concipere meaning “to take in together,” formed from con- “together” and capere “to take.” The word entered English in the 14th century with the sense of taking in or containing, and by the Renaissance it had acquired the sense of becoming pregnant.

In humans, conception generally refers to the fertilization of an ovum by a sperm cell, usually in the fallopian tube. After fertilization, the embryo travels to the uterus and implants into the uterine lining, at which point pregnancy begins in a practical sense. The term is sometimes used to refer to the fertilization event rather than the full pregnancy and is distinct from implantation, gestation, or birth.

Fertility is influenced by age and health; the probability of conceiving declines with age for most people assigned female at birth. The fertility window is roughly the days surrounding ovulation, but conception can still occur outside the most fertile days, and contraception can prevent conception when used.

Usage: In everyday language, “conceive” is often followed by “of” or “a plan” as in “to conceive of a new approach” or “to conceive a child.” The terms “conception” and “pregnancy” are related but not interchangeable in all contexts; conception refers to fertilization, while pregnancy refers to the period after implantation.

Related topics include conception, pregnancy, fertilization, contraception, fertility.