maternity

1 of 2

noun

ma·​ter·​ni·​ty mə-ˈtər-nə-tē 

plural maternities

1

a

: the quality or state of being a mother : motherhood

b

: the qualities of a mother : motherliness

2

: a hospital facility designed for the care of women before and during childbirth and for the care of newborn babies

maternity

2 of 2

adjective

1

: being or providing care during and immediately before and after childbirth

maternity care

a maternity unit

2

: designed for wear during pregnancy

a maternity dress

3

: effective for the period close to and including childbirth

maternity leave

Did you know?

Maternity and Parts of Speech

Maternity is used as both a noun and an adjective. Maternity benefits are benefits specially provided by employers for women having babies, and usually include maternity leave, time off work. With maternity come maternal feelings, which are shown by all species of warm-blooded animals as well as a few reptiles such as crocodiles and alligators.

Synonyms

Noun

• motherliness

Examples of maternity in a Sentence

Noun

she had such maternity at such a young age that all her classmates went to her for comfort

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In an audio message sent in Arabic to ABC News, Dr. Eid Sabah, the director of the nursing department at Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the maternity ward is overflowing with children who were transferred from the ICU to accommodate the growing number of patients. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2024

Eventually, the filmmaker and actress installed themselves in the village’s maternity ward but only after Kulumbegashvili had already spent a year in the clinic with her cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan, shadowing doctors and talking to pregnant women and observing births. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2024

Adjective

In short, Aid for Women offers pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, as well as social services, including counseling, parenting courses, material resources, maternity housing, post-maternity housing, insurance assistance and referrals to other medical and social service providers — all absolutely free. —Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2024

With a Le Tote Maternity membership, subscribers can choose from both maternity and non-maternity rental styles. —Stacey Nguyen, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing maternity

• maternity leave

Kids Definition

maternity

1 of 2 noun

ma·​ter·​ni·​ty mə-ˈtər-nət-ē 

plural maternities

1

: the state of being a mother : motherhood

2

: motherly character or qualities : motherliness

maternity

2 of 2 adjective

1

: designed for wear during pregnancy

maternity clothes

2

: effective for the time around childbirth

maternity leave

Medical Definition

maternity

1 of 2 noun

ma·​ter·​ni·​ty mə-ˈtər-nət-ē 

plural maternities

: a hospital facility designed for the care of women before and during childbirth and for the care of newborn babies

maternity

2 of 2 adjective

1

: being or providing care during and immediately before and after childbirth

maternity care

a maternity unit

2

: designed for wear during pregnancy

maternity clothes

3

: effective for the period close to and including childbirth

maternity leave