midwife
[ mid-wahyf ]
/ ˈmɪdˌwaɪf /
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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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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
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.