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Glite Dictionary
frank breech

frank breech

9.3
A baby before birth with its bottom nearest the birth canal and legs straight up near the head
  • noun
  • /fræŋk briːtʃ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : presentación de nalgas franca
  • In a frank breech delivery, the baby's legs are bent at the hips and extended straight up in front of the body.

Examples

  • During the ultrasound, the doctor confirmed that the baby was in a frank breech position, which meant the buttocks would be positioned to deliver first.

  • Early labor progressed healthily with no suggestion of any concerns until I had an internal exam in the hospital at 3 cm dilation, at which time the doctor discovered that the baby was now in frank breech presentation.

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  • The midwife explained that a frank breech presentation can complicate the childbirth process.

Synonyms

breech
vsfrank breech
  • Specialized
6 8.4

A baby born feet or bottom first during birth

is the specific form with buttocks closest and legs straight up
breech presentation
vsfrank breech
  • Specialized
1 6.3

The position of a baby in the womb with feet or bottom coming out first instead of the head

specifies the case with buttocks nearest and legs straight up

Surface Forms

frank breech singular
frank breeches plural

Morphology

frank + breech

Although 'breech' indicates a buttocks-first presentation, the modifier 'frank' here has a specialized obstetric sense (legs straight up) that is not derived from the everyday meaning of 'frank' (honest) and is not predictable from composition. The specific configuration of the fetus is technical and language-specific, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not be able to infer the full meaning.

Etymology

Frank breech may come from older words: breech meant the baby's 'bottom', and frank was used to mean 'fully' or 'open'. So a frank breech is when the baby's bottom comes first and the legs are straight up, and the name describes that 'position'.