midwife

1 of 2

noun

mid·​wife ˈmid-ˌwīf 

1

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

2

: one that helps to produce or bring forth something

… thou art the midwife to my woe …

—William Shakespeare

midwife

2 of 2

verb

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

transitive verb

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

The month has midwifed all manner of creative genius …

—Steve Rushin

Examples of midwife in a Sentence

Noun

a trained and certified midwife

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The midwife would place a long wooden tube on my belly every now and again and listen. — Literary Hub, 19 June 2026

In the women’s center, a tent is set up with an examination table, a midwife, and a doctor. — Janine Di Giovanni, Vanity Fair, 25 June 2026

Verb

No, but Diesel has been midwifing this franchise for nearly as long. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 June 2024

Nile smelled my bloodlust and midwifed that story into being. — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1638, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing midwife

• nurse-midwife

Rhymes for midwife

• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• housewife
• jackknife
• midlife
• nightlife
• penknife
• wildlife
• afterlife
• pocketknife
• knife

Kids Definition

midwife

noun

mid·​wife

ˈmid-ˌwīf

: a woman who helps other women in childbirth

Medical Definition

midwife

noun

mid·​wife ˈmid-ˌwīf 

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