midwifery

American

[mid-wif-uh-ree, -wif-ree, mid-wahy-fuh-ree, -wahyf-ree] / mɪdˈwɪf ə ri, -ˈwɪf ri, ˈmɪdˌwaɪ fə ri, -ˌwaɪf ri /

noun

the technique or practice of a midwife.

midwifery British

/ ˈmɪdˌwɪfərɪ /

noun

the art or practice of a midwife; obstetrics

"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

Etymology

Origin of midwifery

First recorded in 1475–85; see origin at midwife, -ery

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

midwifery

Nearly 400 Welsh nursing and midwifery graduates remain without NHS jobs after the initial process to match them to suitable roles finished.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Multiple African and Asian midwifery experts have been denied visas for a major international conference in Portugal, threatening progress on saving millions of babies' lives, organisers and invitees said Friday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

In 2018, Sue Brydon, a senior midwife at the Queen's Medical Centre sent a letter to the director of midwifery and the trust's then chairman, signed by more than 50 midwifery staff.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

The government said it sympathised and had funded 700 new midwifery posts costing £8m.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

In that way she learned that midwifery was as much about hard work and good sense and comfrey tonic as spells and magic.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023