maternity

American  

[muh-tur-ni-tee] / məˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• prematernity noun

Etymology

Origin of maternity

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

Example Sentences

The group also want more consultation about the structure of the sport, plus increased contributions from the Grand Slams into pension, healthcare and maternity pots.

From BBC

To really boost births, small companies have to guarantee benefits like marriage and maternity leave first, Du said.

From Barron's

Access to childcare can be highly dependent on your postcode, campaigners say, and parental leave pay fluctuates wildly, depending on the generosity of employers, while others rely solely on statutory maternity and paternity leave pay.

From BBC

"Only essential departments remain operational: the emergency unit, maternity ward and paediatrics."

From Barron's

Perhaps her manager didn’t want to fill Struthers’s inbox while she was on maternity leave.

From The Wall Street Journal