couvade
/kuˈvɑd/
noun
- A custom in some cultures in which the father of a newborn baby experiences symptoms of pregnancy or takes to bed as if giving birth.
- Anthropologists study couvade to understand how different cultures express fatherhood.
- The practice of couvade is observed in several traditional societies around the world.
- In some couvade rituals, the father avoids certain foods and activities during the mother's pregnancy.