midwife

noun mid·wife \ ˈmid-ˌwīf \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: midwife in a Sentence

Definition of midwife

1 : a person who assists women in childbirth — compare nurse-midwife

2 : one that helps to produce or bring forth something

See midwife defined for English-language learners

See midwife defined for kids

Examples of midwife in a Sentence

a trained and certified midwife

Recent Examples of midwife from the Web

Ilyas’ great grandmother was a midwife in India and her grandmother practiced gynecology there.

— elizabeth wellington, Philly.com, "This sun-protective clothing line by a King of Prussia dermatologist is actually pretty cute | Elizabeth Wellington," 2 July 2018
Morgan also helped to deliver George assisting the midwife.

— bryan alexander, USA TODAY, "Jeffrey Dean Morgan explains new tattoos for 'miracle' baby daughter George Virginia," 6 Apr. 2018
The Business of Being Born, Ricki Lake’s documentary from 2008, looked at several birthing models — in hospitals, with a midwife at home, and combinations of the two.

— danielle jackson, Longreads, "A Frustrating Year of Reporting on Black Maternal Health," 14 June 2018
Anacostia High School’s midwife program is a novel approach that’s showing promise in tackling the problem.

— selena simmons-duffin, Washington Post, "‘Where The Need Is:’ Tackling Teen Pregnancy With A Midwife At School," 12 June 2018
Chiang’s emissary called Marshall the midwife of unification, the leading strategist of the world and an ambassador of peace.

— james d. hornfischer, WSJ, "‘The China Mission’ Review: The Man Who ‘Lost’ China," 3 May 2018
Starting in the summer of 1939, a Nazi decree mandated that all physicians, nurses, and midwives report any child under 3 with mental or physical disabilities.

— seth mnookin, New York Times, "Was Autism a Nazi Invention?," 18 June 2018
Thank you for all the love and support and to our midwives @lindseymeehleis and @courtneykellis for helping us find the support our family needs during this impossible time.

— CBS News, "911 call reveals frantic effort to save Bode Miller's daughter Emeline," 13 June 2018
My midwife’s primary mission was to keep my baby safe during delivery, after which her mission was to keep me moving and focused.

— mariko zapf, Good Housekeeping, "I Had A Successful Vaginal Birth After A Cesarean (VBAC)—Here's What You Need To Know," 16 Nov. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of midwife

Middle English midwif, from mid with (from Old English) + wif woman

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

midwife

verb

Definition of midwife

midwifed play \-ˌwīft\ or midwived play \-ˌwīvd\; midwifing play \-ˌwī-fiŋ\ or midwiving play \-ˌwī-viŋ\

transitive verb

: to assist in producing, bringing forth, or bringing about

First Known Use of midwife

1638

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

MIDWIFE Defined for English Language Learners

midwife

noun

Definition of midwife for English Language Learners

: a person (usually a woman) who helps a woman when she is giving birth to a child

MIDWIFE Defined for Kids

midwife

noun mid·wife \ ˈmid-ˌwīf \

Definition of midwife for Students

plural midwives

: a woman who helps other women during childbirth

Medical Dictionary

midwife

noun mid·wife \ ˈmid-ˌwīf \

medical Definition of midwife

: a person who assists women in childbirth — see nurse-midwife

Learn More about midwife

See words that rhyme with midwife Spanish Central: Translation of midwife Nglish: Translation of midwife for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up midwife? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

midwife

Definition of midwife

Examples of midwife in a Sentence

Recent Examples of midwife from the Web

Origin and Etymology of midwife

midwife

Definition of midwife

First Known Use of midwife

MIDWIFE Defined for English Language Learners

midwife

Definition of midwife for English Language Learners

MIDWIFE Defined for Kids

midwife

Definition of midwife for Students

Medical Dictionary

midwife

medical Definition of midwife

Learn More about midwife

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

The Eponym Quiz

Ghost Word