maternity

[ muh-tur-ni-tee ]

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

/ 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 Words From

• prema·terni·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of maternity¹

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

Example Sentences

Denied the opportunity to attend medical lectures, she studied midwifery at the maternity hospital.

From Washington Post

I founded Emilia George when I was seven months pregnant based on months of frustration with a lack of high-quality maternity wear that was comfortable on my skin, professional-looking, and functional.

From Fortune

The maternity photos show a visibly pregnant new mama draped in nude fabric and with golden sunlight flooding the room.

From Essence.com

Some of the most wanted imported products are maternity items, cosmetics and vitamin supplements.

From TechCrunch

You’re not afraid that they would go on maternity or paternity leave.

From Fortune

Certainly paid paternity leave is part of it (and in the U.S., we need paid maternity and paternity leave).

From The Daily Beast

“He was talking about getting rid of Savannah two weeks off her maternity leave,” says the NBC News type.

From The Daily Beast

Maternity leave and all that stuff is super important to me.

From The Daily Beast

In a familiar story, the U.S. has no law guaranteeing any paid maternity leave and is the only industrialized nation to do so.

From The Daily Beast

Berman urges pork producers to call them “maternity pens” instead.

From The Daily Beast

Jane Tuke had been married four or five years, but had no children, and the lack seemed to have intensified her maternity.

From Project Gutenberg

Never has the cult of maternity been better formulated—never has the practice of it been more carefully studied.

From Project Gutenberg

And it is especially needful for woman, for the great peculiar function of maternity requires the finest muscular power.

From Project Gutenberg

Maternity imposes on woman a heavy burden, and before the discovery of birth control, a burden that is continuous.

From Project Gutenberg

Sick and wounded had similarly to be provided for; so had the inmates of maternity establishments.

From Project Gutenberg