midwife

[ mid-wahyf ]

/ ˈmɪdˌwaɪf /

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See synonyms for midwife on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural mid·wives [mid-wahyvz]. /ˈmɪdˌwaɪvz/.

a person trained to assist women in childbirth.

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.

to assist in the birth of (a baby).

to produce or aid in producing (something new): to midwife a new generation of computers.

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Origin of midwife

1250–1300; Middle English midwif, equivalent to mid with, accompanying (Old English; cf. meta-) + wif woman (Old English wīf;see wife)

Words nearby midwife

Midwestern, Midwesterner, mid-wicket, mid wicket off, mid wicket on, midwife, midwifery, midwife toad, midwinter, midyear, M.I.E.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for midwife

She was delivered at home by her great-grandmother, who despite being blind and having bound feet was her village’s midwife.
Joey Wat, CEO of China’s Largest Restaurant Company, Shares Lessons on Controlling COVID-19|Eben Shapiro|December 6, 2020|Time
The parents had chosen to give birth at home, with a certified professional midwife attending.
Are Water Births Toxic to Babies?|Brandy Zadrozny|December 12, 2014|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.
The Only Thing More Terrifying Than Ebola Is Being Pregnant With Ebola|Kent Sepkowitz, Abby Haglage|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It means care with a mother-focused doctor or midwife, sometimes in a place other than a hospital.
Natural Childbirth Is Not a Cult|Brandy Zadrozny|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Later on they came and said something else, but a midwife later told me the same [not to have more children].
The Mom Forced to Have a C-Section|Emily Shire|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, he wound up being the midwife for the Soviet Union's demise.
Ex- CIA Chief: Why We Keep Getting Putin Wrong|Eli Lake, Noah Shachtman, Christopher Dickey|March 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this case the midwife was afraid to go alone with her summoner, and begged that her husband might accompany her.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
Conversely, when the midwife is rewarded with that which seems valuable it turns out worthless.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
The quondam midwife, with tears in her eyes, looked at her, and blessed the moment she had done a generous act.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
During this time,—from 1760 to 1775,—a Mrs. Peck was also known in the same town as an excellent midwife.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall
The midwife, without the ointment, is deceived like Thor by Utgard-Loki: nothing is as it appears to her.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland

British Dictionary definitions for midwife

midwife

/ (ˈmɪdˌwaɪf) /

noun plural -wives (-ˌwaɪvz)

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

Word Origin for midwife

C14: from Old English mid with + wif woman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for midwife

midwife

[ mĭd′wīf′ ]

n. pl. mid•wives (-wīvz′)

A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth.

v.

To assist in the birth of a baby.

Cultural definitions for midwife

midwife

A person who serves as an attendant at childbirth but is not a physician. Some midwives (called certified nurse midwives) are trained in university programs, which usually require previous education in nursing; others (called lay midwives) learn their skills through apprenticeship.

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midwife

noun, plural mid·wives [mid-wahyvz]. /ˈmɪdˌwaɪvz/.

verb (used with object), mid·wifed or mid·wived, mid·wif·ing or mid·wiv·ing.