ENGLISH
REFERENCE

miscarriage

n. C / U
C1 Advanced US //mɪˈskɛɹədʒ// UK //mɪskˈæɹɪdʒ// mis·car·riage

n. the natural loss of a pregnancy before the baby is developed enough to survive outside the mother. It is a medical event that happens early in a pregnancy.

n. the spontaneous expulsion of a human foetus from the womb before it is viable. Often used in the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' to describe a failure of the court system.


SIMPLE

She was very sad after her miscarriage.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor explained that a miscarriage often happens because the pregnancy is not developing normally.

Synonyms
Origin

From mis- + carriage.

Usage

Countable when referring to a specific event; uncountable when discussing the medical phenomenon in general.

Pitfall

she had a miscarriage of her babyshe had a miscarriageThe word 'miscarriage' already implies the loss of a pregnancy; adding 'of her baby' is redundant.

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