midwife

American  

[mid-wahyf] / ˈmɪdˌwaɪf /

noun

plural

midwives

1. a person trained to assist women in childbirth.

2. a person or thing that produces or aids in producing something new or different.

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verb (used with object)

midwifed, midwived, midwifing, midwiving

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 British  

/ ˈmɪdˌwaɪf /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of midwife

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

Example Sentences

Without a doubt, Goddard was the father of 20th-century rocketry, but Charles Lindbergh was the midwife.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

There are only fewer than 200 men registered to work as a midwife in the UK and just six in Northern Ireland - and Fraser Morton is one of them.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

The former midwife was formally installed in the historic ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England in front of around 2,000 people including heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Friend of Slate Mary Ziegler also explains the latest conservative fight over abortion down in Texas, where a midwife is facing civil and criminal charges for allegedly performing illegal abortions and practicing without a license.

From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026

The returning midwife, angry at Alyce for ignoring her earlier, set her to do all the least pleasant chores: roasting frogs’ livers, boiling snails into jelly, stripping the thorns from dogberry roses.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

Related Words

• obstetrician