Definitions

1. noun

A woman who pretends to be in labor in order to deceive her husband or others into thinking that she is about to give birth.

“In medieval Europe, the sciamachy was a common ploy used by wives to get out of household chores.”

2. noun

A woman who simulates childbirth in order to avoid her husband or to gain sympathy.

“The medieval woman was accused of being a sciamachy, trying to deceive her husband with a fake pregnancy.”