maternity
/məˈtəːnɪti
/noun [mass noun]
1Motherhood: she is not a woman with an interest in maternity...
- DNA testing was done on the biological mothers to confirm maternity of the children who participated.
- But it's maternity and motherhood that are the issues closest to her heart and first off her tongue.
- The National Birth & Motherhood Survey 2002 paints a grim picture of modern maternity.
Synonyms
motherhood, parenthood;
motherliness
1.1 [usually as modifier] The period during pregnancy and shortly after childbirth: maternity clothes...
- It's not easy being pregnant and finding nice maternity clothes.
- And for you women who've been pregnant and worn maternity pants, you know how ridiculous those things look.
- Speaking of being large and in charge, let us talk for a moment about the issue of maternity clothes.
Origin
Early 17th century: from French maternité, from Latin maternus, from mater 'mother'.
Rhymes
- plain-paper
- Plain People
- plain sail
- plain sailing
- plain-saw
- plain sawing
- plains bison
- plains buffalo
- plain scale
- Plains Cree
- Plains culture
- plain service
- plain sewing
- Plains hunter
- plain sight
- Plains Indian
- plainsman
- Plains of Abraham
- plainsong
- plain-speaking
- plain-spoke
- plain-spoken
- Plains States
- plainstones
- Plains tribe