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Midwife
Definitions
- 1 A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician.
"A hundred years ago, a midwife would bring the baby into the world - going to a hospital to deliver a baby was either impossible or unheard of."
- 2 a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies wordnet
- 3 Someone who assists in bringing about some result or project. figuratively, rare
"He had not read it, but he said that every detail in it was true. This struck me as a rather cavalier attitude to truth, but hatred is not the midwife of caution or accuracy."
- 1 To act as a midwife. transitive
- 2 To facilitate the emergence of. figuratively, transitive
"But the bigger objective was to help Iraqis midwife a democratic model that could inspire reform across the Arab-Muslim world and give the youth there a chance at a better future."
Etymology
From Middle English midwif, corresponding to mid (“with”) + wif (“woman, wife, female”). It appears not to be entirely clear whether the original understanding was “with-woman” in the sense of “attending/assisting woman”, or “they who are with the woman” (namely the mother).
From Middle English midwif, corresponding to mid (“with”) + wif (“woman, wife, female”). It appears not to be entirely clear whether the original understanding was “with-woman” in the sense of “attending/assisting woman”, or “they who are with the woman” (namely the mother).
See also for "midwife"
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