maternity

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noun ma·ter·ni·ty \mə-ˈtər-nə-tē\

Definition of maternity

plural

maternities

1a : the quality or state of being a mother : motherhoodb : 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

See maternity defined for English-language learners

See maternity defined for kids

Examples of maternity in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of maternity from the Web

And while the Affordable Care Act mandated them, the Senate bill would allow states to drop benefits including maternity care and mental health services.

— darius sadighi, Teen Vogue, "Republican Senators Are Moving to Replace the Affordable Care Act By Next Week," 13 July 2017
Serena, currently out on maternity leave with her first child, is the G.O.A.T of her sport — greatest women’s tennis player of all time.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Venus Williams is reminding us at Wimbledon she is no less remarkable than her kid sister," 12 July 2017
Still at issue is a plan by conservatives led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to let insurers sell low-price policies with bare-bones coverage — if the company also sells a policy covering a list of services like maternity care that Obama's law mandates.

— alan fram, chicagotribune.com, "New GOP health bill likely keeping Obama tax boosts on rich," 11 July 2017
Combined with Microsoft’s existing maternity disability leave of eight weeks, new mothers can cumulatively take 20 weeks off.

— matt day, The Seattle Times, "Microsoft offers employees four weeks of paid family caregiver leave," 27 June 2017
Mishory said one of the biggest concerns is that states could opt out of requiring insurers to provide benefits such as maternity care, mental health care and prescription drugs — all commonly used among young adults.

— kaiser health news, Teen Vogue, "How the Senate GOP Health Bill Would Affect Young People," 27 June 2017
The United States is one of only a few developed countries in the world that does not have federally mandated paid maternity leave.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Some Companies Are Now Offering Time Off When You Get a Puppy," 26 June 2017
In other words, a whopping 88 percent of plans on the individual market did not provide maternity coverage.

— midwin charles, Essence.com, "6 Devastating Ways The Senate Health Care Bill Will Affect Black Women," 24 June 2017
Initially planning to come back for the North American summer hardcourt season in late July, Azarenka returned from maternity leave on Tuesday at the Mallorca Open, a grass-court event that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon.

— ben rothenberg, New York Times, "Victoria Azarenka Returns to the Court, Accompanied by a Mother’s Patience," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'maternity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

First Known Use of maternity

1611

maternity

adjective ma·ter·ni·ty

Definition of maternity

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

See maternity defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of maternity

1852

MATERNITY Defined for English Language Learners

maternity

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noun

Definition of maternity for English Language Learners

: the state of being a mother

maternity

adjective

Definition of maternity for English Language Learners

: designed to be worn by a woman who is pregnant
: relating to the time when a woman gives birth to a baby
—used to refer to an area in a hospital where women who are giving birth to babies are cared for

MATERNITY Defined for Kids

maternity

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noun ma·ter·ni·ty \mə-ˈtər-nə-tē\

Definition of maternity for Students

: the state of being a mother

Word Root of maternity

The Latin word mater, meaning “mother,” gives us the root mater or matr. Anyone or anything maternal, such as a grandparent, is related through the mother's side of the family. Maternity is the state of being a mother. A matriarch is a woman who is the mother and head of a family. A matron is a married woman who may be a mother.

Medical Dictionary

maternity

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noun ma·ter·ni·ty \mə-ˈtər-nət-ē\

Medical Definition of maternity

plural

maternities

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

maternity

adjective ma·ter·ni·ty

Medical Definition of maternity

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