noun. 1. a tradition in some societies wherein the father goes to sleep prior to or following the birth of his child, as though he endured the pain of the laboring and child birthing process. 2. pain in the abdomen or other somatic indicators developing in the male partners of pregnant females, typically assumed to be of a psychogenic nature.
COUVADE: “Jason exhibited couvade behaviors during his wife’s pregnancy, by gaining an extra 20 pounds.”