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impregnate

/ˈɪmpɹɛɡneɪt/verb

impregnate is spelled I-M-P-R-E-G-N-A-T-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, impregnate means “To cause to become pregnant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in impregnate?

Letters10: I-M-P-R-E-G-N-A-T-E
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 3 million words; the 53,573rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is impregnate?

Impregnate appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce impregnate?

  • /ˈɪmpɹɛɡneɪt/
  • /ɪmˈpɹɛɡneɪt/

As an adjective (“Impregnated (all senses)”): /ˈɪmprɛɡnət/, /ɪmˈprɛɡnət/.

Impregnate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-impregnate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of impregnate

  • impregnates present, singular, he/she/it
  • impregnating participle, present
  • impregnated participle, past
  • more impregnate comparative
  • most impregnate superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does impregnate mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To cause to become pregnant.

    I was impregnated at a clinic but don't know who the sperm donor is.

  2. 2

    To fertilize.

  3. 3

    To saturate, or infuse.

  4. 4

    To fill pores or spaces with a substance.

  5. 5

    datedTo become pregnant.

adjective

  1. 1

    obsoleterareImpregnated (all senses).

  2. 2

    obsoleterarePregnant, with child.

  3. 3

    obsoleterareRendered fruitful, prolific.

  4. 4

    obsoleterareImbued, saturated, permeated or filled with.

  5. 5

    obsoleterareImpregnable.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Impregnate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchrendre enceinte, mettre enceinte, enceinter, engrosser, couvrir (to cause to become pregnant), imprégner de (to saturate, to infuse)
Germanschwängern, besamen, befruchten (to cause to become pregnant), imprägnieren (to fill pores or spaces with a substance)
Portugueseemprenhar, engravidar, fertilizar (to cause to become pregnant), impregnar (to saturate, to infuse), permear (to fill pores or spaces with a substance)
Spanishembarazar, preñar, dejar embarazada, embombar, empreñar (to cause to become pregnant), impregnar (to saturate, to infuse)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does impregnate come from?

The adjective is first attested in 1540, the verb in 1605; borrowed from Medieval Latin impraegnātus, perfect passive participle of Latin impraegnō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Doublet of impregn; participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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