maternity

English

Etymology

From French maternité, from Latin māternitās.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

maternity (countable and uncountable, plural maternities)

1. The state of being a mother; motherhood.
2. The state of being pregnant; pregnancy.
3. A ward or department in a hospital in which babies are born.

   She's working in maternity this month.

Synonyms

• (ward): maternity ward

Antonyms

• paternity (with respect to gender)

Derived terms

• maternity bra
• maternity dress
• maternity hospital
• maternity jeans
• maternity leave
• maternity pillow
• maternity test
• maternity wear
• maternitywear

 

Translations

state of being a mother; motherhood

• Bulgarian: майчинство (bg) n (majčinstvo)
• Crimean Tatar: analıq
• Dutch: materniteit (nl) f, moederschap (nl) n
• Esperanto: patrineco
• Finnish: äitiys (fi)
• Greek: μητρότητα (el) f (mitrótita)
• Norman: matèrnité f
• Polish: macierzyństwo (pl) n
• Russian: материнство (ru) n (materinstvo)

state of being pregnant; pregnancy

• Bulgarian: бременност (bg) f (bremennost)
• Finnish: raskaus (fi)
• Greek: εγκυμοσύνη (el) f (egkymosýni)
• Norman: matèrnité f
• Polish: ciąża (pl) f
• Russian: беременность (ru) f (beremennostʹ)

ward or department in a hospital in which babies are born

• Bulgarian: натология f (natologija)
• Czech: porodnické oddělení n
• Finnish: synnytysosasto (fi), synnytyssairaala (fi)
• Greek: μαιευτήριο (el) n (maieftírio)
• Malay: korban laki-laki
• Polish: porodówka (pl) f