midwife
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mid·wife
(mĭd′wīf′)n. pl. mid·wives (-wīvz′)
1. A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth.
2. One who assists in or takes a part in bringing about a result: "In the Renaissance, artists and writers start to serve as midwives of fame" (Carlin Romano).
tr.v. mid·wifed, mid·wif·ing, mid·wifes or mid·wived (-wīvd′) or mid·wiv·ing (-wī′vĭng) or mid·wives (-wīvz′)
1. To assist in the birth of (a baby).
2. To assist in bringing forth or about: "Washington's efforts to midwife a Mideast settlement" (Newsweek).
[Middle English midwif : probably mid, with (from Old English; see me- in Indo-European roots) + wif, woman (from Old English wīf; see wife).]
Word History: The word midwife was formed in Middle English from two elements, mid and wife. At first glance, the meaning of wife would would seem to be clear. However, wife often meant simply "woman" in general in Middle English, not specifically "female spouse" as it most often does in Modern English. The other element in midwife, the prefix mid-, is probably the Middle English preposition and adverb mid, meaning "together with." Thus a midwife was literally a "with-woman"—that is, "a woman who is with another woman and assists her in giving birth." The etymology of obstetric is even more descriptive of a midwife's role. Its Latin source obstetrīx, "a midwife," is formed from the verb obstāre, "to stand in front of," and the feminine suffix -trīx; the obstetrīx would thus literally stand in front of the baby as it was being born.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
midwife
(ˈmɪdˌwaɪf)n, pl -wives (-ˌwaɪvz)
(Gynaecology & Obstetrics) a person qualified to deliver babies and to care for women before, during, and after childbirth
[C14: from Old English mid with + wif woman]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
mid•wife
(ˈmɪdˌwaɪf)n., pl. -wives (-ˌwaɪvz)
v. -wifed -wived, -wif•ing wiv•ing. n.
1. a person who assists women in childbirth.
2. a person or thing that assists in producing something new.
v.t. 3. to assist in the birth of (a baby).
4. to assist in producing or bringing about (something new).
[1250–1300; Middle English midwif=mid with, accompanying (Old English; compare meta-) + wif woman (see wife)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  midwife - a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babiesnurse - one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
قَابِلَةٌقابِلَه، مُوَلِّدَه
акушерка
porodní asistentkaporodní bába
jordemoderjordemorfødselshjælper
kätilökätilöidä
dai
babica
bábabábáskodikszülésznő
ljósmóîir
助産婦
산파
obstetrix
akušerėakušerijapribuvėja
vecmāte, akušiere
moaşă
pôrodná asistentka
babicababica pri porodu
бабица
barnmorska
นางพยาบาลผดุงครรภ์
акушерка
bà đỡ
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
midwife
[ˈmɪdwaɪf] [midwives] [ˈmɪdwaɪvz] (pl) n → sage-femme fShe's a midwife → Elle est sage-femme.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
midwife
n pl <-wives> → Hebamme f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
midwife
(ˈmidwaif) – plural ˈmidwives (-waivz) – noun a person (usually a trained nurse) who helps at the birth of children.
midˈwifery (midˈwi-) , ((American) ˈmidwai-) nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
midwife
→ قَابِلَةٌ porodní asistentka jordemoder Hebamme μαία comadrona, partera kätilö sage-femme babica ostetrica 助産婦 산파 verloskundige jordmor położna parteira акушерка barnmorska นางพยาบาลผดุงครรภ์ ebe bà đỡ 助产士Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
mid·wife
n. comadrona, partera, mujer que se especializa en el cuidado y atención de la salud de mujeres durante el embarazo, el parto y el postparto.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
midwife
n (pl -wives) partera, comadrona; male — partero, comadrón mEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.