Skip to main content
premature

premature

40 4.2
Born too early during pregnancy
  • adjective
  • /ˌpriːməˈtʃʊr/
translation icon : prematuro
  • Because incubators were a new technology, the effects of oxygen on premature infants were not yet understood.
  • premature birth
  • premature infant
  • premature baby

Your first son was born a month early, which is premature, obviously.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And Mr. Stop supports our research in premature birth.

  • I don't remember all too much, but as I've been told, I was born premature and ended up in critical care.

  • Your first son was born a month early, which is premature, obviously.

  • We were born premature, so...

  • He was born premature, okay.

  • We also see a lot of kids who were born premature and are developmentally delayed.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Standard hospital practice is to place premature twins in separate incubators to reduce the risk of infection.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Jackie goes into premature labour, wakes up and is told she had a stillborn daughter.

  • Additionally, more infants with severe health problems are surviving the trauma of premature birth or congenital defects.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The doctor explained that the baby was born premature and would need special care.

Synonyms

preterm
vspremature
  • Specialized
1 5.3

Born earlier than the usual time of pregnancy, before 37 weeks

refers generally to birth before the end of pregnancy without a specific week limit

Antonyms

4 3.7

A baby born after about 37 to 42 weeks of pregnancy

Compounds

A baby who is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy

When a man reaches orgasm sooner during sex than he or his partner wants

premature labor
  • Specialized
3 3.5

The start of childbirth before the 37th week of pregnancy

A baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy

A heartbeat that comes early so it feels like a skipped beat

A person who opposes fascism before most people or the government think it is dangerous

How Early

premature
40 4.2
full-term
4 3.7

Surface Forms

premature positive
prematurer comparative
prematurest superlative

Morphology

premature = mature (transparent) = pre + mature

The meaning is directly built from 'pre-' meaning 'before' and 'mature', so a baby born 'premature' is born before full development.

Etymology

Premature comes from pre- 'before' and mature 'ripe' or 'ready'. So a premature baby is one born before it is fully ready.