midwife
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Old English, corresponding to mid (“with”) + wife (“woman”).
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈmɪd.waɪf/
[edit] Noun
midwife (plural midwives)
- A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician.
- A hundred years ago, a midwife would bring the baby into the world - going to a hospital to deliver a baby was either impossible or unheard of.
- (rare, figuratively) Someone who assists in bringing about some result or project.
[edit] Translations
person who assists women in childbirth
|
|
person who assists in bringing something about
|
|
[edit] Verb
midwife (third-person singular simple present midwives or, rarely midwifes, present participle midwiving or, rarely midwifing, simple past and past participle midwived or, rarely midwifed)
- (transitive) To act as a midwife
- (transitive) (figuratively) to facilitate the emergence of
- But the bigger objective was to help Iraqis midwife a democratic model that could inspire reform across the Arab-Muslim world and give the youth there a chance at a better future.
- Thomas L. Friedman. "Attention: Baby on Board." New York Times. April 13, 2010.
- But the bigger objective was to help Iraqis midwife a democratic model that could inspire reform across the Arab-Muslim world and give the youth there a chance at a better future.
[edit] Usage notes
While elementary students are taught "replace 'f' with 'v'," the mistake resulting in "midwifed" is made often enough in informal/colloquial language to indicate the rule is not consistently followed.
[edit] Translations
to act as a midwife
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
|
