midwife

[ mid-wahyf ]

noun

, plural mid·wives [mid, -wahyvz].

1. a person trained to assist women in childbirth.
2. a person or thing that produces or aids in producing something new or different.

verb (used with object)

, mid·wifed or mid·wived, mid·wif·ing or mid·wiv·ing.

1. to assist in the birth of (a baby).
2. to produce or aid in producing (something new):

   to midwife a new generation of computers.

midwife

/ ˈmɪdˌwaɪf /

noun

1. a person qualified to deliver babies and to care for women before, during, and after childbirth

Word History and Origins

Origin of midwife¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English midwif, from mid “with, accompanying” ( Old English; meta- ) + wif “woman” ( Old English wīf; wife )

Word History and Origins

Origin of midwife¹

C14: from Old English mid with + wif woman

Example Sentences

You can define sex as being based on your body and whether the doctor or midwife said you were a boy or girl when you were born.

From Popular-Science

Watterdal holds weekly WhatsApp calls with Taliban officials, who, he says, have understood that in order for their communities to have midwives, women must be educated through twelfth grade.

From Time

Most others had their babies delivered by midwives and their fevers and wounds treated by family members or local healers.

From Washington Post

What was remarkable, considering that this was a patriarchy, is that the most valued witnesses were the women who supervised the birth, the midwife and nurses.

From The Daily Beast

Rhea had already given birth five times, and each time, Gaia attended her daughter as midwife.

From Nautilus

The parents had chosen to give birth at home, with a certified professional midwife attending.

From The Daily Beast

At the time of her arrival in 2011, many of the facilities in Liberia lacked even a single midwife, let alone trained OB/GYNs.

From The Daily Beast

It means care with a mother-focused doctor or midwife, sometimes in a place other than a hospital.

From The Daily Beast

Later on they came and said something else, but a midwife later told me the same [not to have more children].

From The Daily Beast

Instead, he wound up being the midwife for the Soviet Union's demise.

From The Daily Beast

In this case the midwife was afraid to go alone with her summoner, and begged that her husband might accompany her.

From Project Gutenberg

Conversely, when the midwife is rewarded with that which seems valuable it turns out worthless.

From Project Gutenberg

The quondam midwife, with tears in her eyes, looked at her, and blessed the moment she had done a generous act.

From Project Gutenberg

During this time,—from 1760 to 1775,—a Mrs. Peck was also known in the same town as an excellent midwife.

From Project Gutenberg

The midwife, without the ointment, is deceived like Thor by Utgard-Loki: nothing is as it appears to her.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• obstetrician