profertility
|pro-fer-til-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/proʊfərˈtɪlɪti/
🇬🇧
/prəʊfəˈtɪlɪti/
in favor of increasing fertility
Etymology
'profertility' is a modern English formation combining the prefix 'pro-' (from Latin 'pro', meaning 'for' or 'in favor of') and the noun 'fertility' (from Latin 'fertilis').
'fertility' entered English via Old French 'fertilité' and Middle English 'fertilite', ultimately from Latin 'fertilis'; the productive prefix 'pro-' (Latin 'pro') has long been used in English to form compounds meaning 'in favor of' or 'supporting', and the compound 'profertility' is therefore a recent English coinage assembled from these elements.
Individually, 'pro-' meant 'for' and 'fertility' meant 'ability to produce (offspring or fruit)'; combined in modern usage the term has taken on the specific socio-political sense 'in favor of increasing fertility' or 'promoting higher birth rates'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an ideology, policy, or stance that actively supports or promotes higher fertility or birth rates (synonymous with pronatalism in many contexts).
The government's profertility programs included expanded parental leave and child allowances.
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Adjective 1
serving to increase or promote fertility; used attributively to describe policies, measures, or attitudes that encourage higher birth rates.
Several profertility measures were introduced to address the declining population.
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Last updated: 2025/10/28 19:20