maternity

American  

[muh-tur-ni-tee] / məˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

• maternities
  plural

1. the state of being a mother; motherhood.

2. motherly quality; motherliness.

3. a section of a hospital devoted to the care of women at childbirth and of their newborn infants.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or for the period in which a woman is pregnant or has just given birth to a child.

2. for mothers during and after childbirth or for the care of their newborn babies.

   a maternity hospital.

3. for wear by pregnant women.

   maternity clothes.

maternity British  

/ məˈtɜːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. motherhood

2. the characteristics associated with motherhood; motherliness

3. (modifier) relating to pregnant women or women at the time of childbirth

   a maternity ward

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prematernity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• maternities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of maternity

1605–15; < Medieval Latin māternitās, equivalent to Latin mātern ( us ) ( see maternal) + -itās -ity

Explanation

Use the noun maternity to describe the relationship of a mother to her children. The state of maternity includes everything involved in becoming a mother, from being pregnant to giving birth to chasing a little kid around a playground. Adoptive mothers experience maternity too, since they are someone's mom. The word maternity comes from the Latin root mater, which means "mother," and it's related to the adjective maternal. You can mostly use the words maternity and motherhood interchangeably.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maternity maternities

“Or just ‘cause I’m singing about a woman having a baby doesn’t mean I have to wear a maternity smock.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

I’d rather stay at home and enjoy my baby’s first year, but maternity leave is so short.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

A fire erupted in a hospital's maternity ward in Islamabad on Wednesday, killing 14 infants, Pakistani authorities said, with the prime minister calling for an investigation.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Clancy, who gave birth to her youngest child in May 2022, began experiencing anxiety about returning to work as a labor and delivery nurse after maternity leave, according to trial testimonies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The entire maternity ward suddenly tilted toward the front of the ship.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

There are 13.41 deaths per 100,000 maternities according to latest figures published by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit - which monitors the causes of maternal deaths, stillbirths and infant deaths.

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2024

But the difference here is in the sounds that fill the air: high-pitch barking from dozens of puppies scattered through its maternities and training camps.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2023

If we must, then, have maternities, we should make them safe, and this can be in great measure accomplished by remembering the twofold source of danger arising from a poisoned atmosphere and direct inoculation.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

After such a showing the first impulse would be to cry out loudly for the suppression of the maternities.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various