Maternity meaning

mə-tûr'nĭ-tē
The definition of maternity is something related to giving birth.

An example of maternity used as an adjective is in the phrase "maternity clothes," which means clothes made for pregnant women.

adjective
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Maternity is defined as the state of being a mother.

An example of maternity is when a woman has children.

noun
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The state of being a mother; motherhood.
noun
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The state of being a mother; motherhood.
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The feelings or characteristics associated with being a mother; motherliness.
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A maternity ward.
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Relating to or effective during pregnancy, childbirth, or the first months of motherhood.

A maternity dress; maternity leave.

adjective
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The character or qualities of a mother; motherliness.
noun
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A maternity ward in a hospital.
noun
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For a woman when pregnant or around the time of giving birth.

Maternity dress, maternity leave.

adjective
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For the care of women giving birth and of newborn babies.

A maternity ward.

adjective
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The state of being a mother; motherhood.
noun
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The feelings or characteristics associated with being a mother; motherliness.
noun
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A maternity ward.
noun
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Relating to or effective during pregnancy, childbirth, or the first months of motherhood.

A maternity dress; maternity leave.

adjective
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The state of being a mother; motherhood.
noun
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The state of being pregnant; pregnancy.
noun
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A ward or department in a hospital in which babies are born.
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Origin of maternity

  • French maternité from Medieval Latin māternitās from Latin māternus maternal maternal
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
  • Borrowing from Latin māternitās.
    From Wiktionary

Maternity Sentence Examples

  • Didn't you realize you would have to buy some maternity clothes?

  • It has a Carnegie library (a branch of the public library of Cincinnati) and a Catholic maternity hospital.

  • Second, find out when the general manager of the fast food joint where she worked was returning from maternity leave.

  • Honolulu has other parks, a fine Botanical Garden, created by the Bureau of Agriculture, several public squares, several hospitals, a maternity home, the Lunalilo Home for aged Hawaiians, an asylum for the insane, several schools of high rank both public and private - notably Oahu College on the E.

  • The general manager was on maternity leave, and she rifled through several drawers before locating a bottle of painkillers.

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Also Mentioned In

Words near maternity in the Dictionary