COUVADE

couvade

(noun) a custom among some peoples whereby the husband of a pregnant wife is put to bed at the time of bearing the child

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

couvade (countable and uncountable, plural couvades)

A practice among some peoples, such as the Basques, of the husband of a woman in the last stages of pregnancy taking to bed, avoiding certain foods, or imitating other behaviours of a pregnant woman.

Sympathetic pregnancy: the involuntary sympathetic experience of the husband of symptoms of his wife's pregnancy, such as weight gain or morning sickness.

Source: Wiktionary

Cou`vade" (k`vd"), n. Etym: [F., fr. couver. See Covey.]

Definition: A custom, among certain barbarous tribes, that when a woman gives birth to a child her husband takes to his bed, as if ill. The world-wide custom of the couvade, where at childbirth the husband undergoes medical treatment, in many cases being put to bed for days. Tylor.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition