couvade

One entry found for couvade.

Main Entry: cou·vade
Pronunciation: kü-'väd
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, cowardly inactivity, from cover to sit on, brood over -- more at COVEY
: a custom in some cultures in which when a child is born the father takes to bed as if bearing the child and submits himself to fasting, purification, or taboos