midwifery

noun

mid·​wife·​ry ˌmid-ˈwi-f(ə-)rē  -ˈwī- 

ˈmid-ˌwī-

1

: the art or act of assisting at childbirth

also : obstetrics

2

: the art, act, or process of producing, bringing forth, or bringing about

Examples of midwifery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the interesting thing is that his midwifery amounted to extracting those views from the most reluctant mouths. — Agnes Callard, The New York Review of Books, 18 Aug. 2026

My own path into nurse-midwifery felt less like a career choice and more like a calling. — Mara Evans, STAT, 27 July 2026

That’s why Arroyo wants to be a part of the Tierras Indígenas Community Land Trust, a development that would bring affordable housing, a community art space and a midwifery to Barrio Logan. — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2026

The earliest historians of midwifery argued that this was a progressive story of the triumph of expertise and science and reason over the superstitions and backward practices of untrained female midwives. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for midwifery

• housewifery

Kids Definition

midwifery

noun

mid·​wife·​ry ˌmid-ˈwif-(ə-)rē  -ˈwīf- 

ˈmid-ˌwīf-

: the art or act of assisting at childbirth

also : obstetrics

Medical Definition

midwifery

noun

mid·​wife·​ry ˌmid-ˈwif-(ə-)rē  -ˈwīf-; ˈmid-ˌwīf- 

plural midwiferies

: the art or act of assisting at childbirth

also : obstetrics see nurse-midwifery