midwife

mid·wife

M0288200 (mĭd′wīf′)n. pl. mid·wives (-wīvz′) 1. A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth.2. One who assists in or takes a part in bringing about a result: "In the Renaissance, artists and writers start to serve as midwives of fame" (Carlin Romano).tr.v. mid·wifed, mid·wif·ing, mid·wifes or mid·wived (-wīvd′) or mid·wiv·ing (-wī′vĭng) or mid·wives (-wīvz′) 1. To assist in the birth of (a baby).2. To assist in bringing forth or about: "Washington's efforts to midwife a Mideast settlement" (Newsweek).

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[Middle English midwif : probably mid, with (from Old English; see me- in Indo-European roots) + wif, woman (from Old English wīf; see wife).]Word History: The word midwife was formed in Middle English from two elements, mid and wife. At first glance, the meaning of wife would would seem to be clear. However, wife often meant simply "woman" in general in Middle English, not specifically "female spouse" as it most often does in Modern English. The other element in midwife, the prefix mid-, is probably the Middle English preposition and adverb mid, meaning "together with." Thus a midwife was literally a "with-woman"—that is, "a woman who is with another woman and assists her in giving birth." The etymology of obstetric is even more descriptive of a midwife's role. Its Latin source obstetrīx, "a midwife," is formed from the verb obstāre, "to stand in front of," and the feminine suffix -trīx; the obstetrīx would thus literally stand in front of the baby as it was being born.

midwife

(ˈmɪdˌwaɪf) n, pl -wives (-ˌwaɪvz) (Gynaecology & Obstetrics) a person qualified to deliver babies and to care for women before, during, and after childbirth[C14: from Old English mid with + wif woman]

mid•wife

(ˈmɪdˌwaɪf)

n., pl. -wives (-ˌwaɪvz)

v. -wifed -wived, -wif•ing wiv•ing. n. 1. a person who assists women in childbirth. 2. a person or thing that assists in producing something new. v.t. 3. to assist in the birth of (a baby). 4. to assist in producing or bringing about (something new). [1250–1300; Middle English midwif=mid with, accompanying (Old English; compare meta-) + wif woman (see wife)]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

midwife - a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babiesaccoucheusenurse - one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)

Translations

助产士

midwife

(ˈmidwaif) – plural ˈmidwives (-waivz) – noun a person (usually a trained nurse) who helps at the birth of children. 助產士 助产士midˈwifery (midˈwi-) , ((American) ˈmidwai-) noun 助產，接生 接生

midwife

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