Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The state of being a mother; motherhood.
- noun The feelings or characteristics associated with being a mother; motherliness.
- noun A maternity ward.
- adjective Relating to or effective during pregnancy, childbirth, or the first months of motherhood.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The state of being a mother; motherhood.
- noun A place for the care of mothers in childbirth; a lying-in ward or hospital.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to childbirth or the period during which a woman is pregnant.
- adjective For use during pregnancy.
- noun The state of being a mother; motherhood.
- noun The character of a mother; maternal quality; motherliness.
- noun The maternity ward; the maternity department of a hospital.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The state of being a
mother ;motherhood . - noun The state of being
pregnant ;pregnancy . - noun A
ward ordepartment in ahospital in whichbabies areborn .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus
- noun the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother
- noun the quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth and affection of or befitting a mother
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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"Nicci used what she called a maternity spell on me."
Men Don't Leave Me 2010
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Infertile couples say they protect themselves by hiding most, if not all, Facebook posts from pregnant friends who can't resist hitting the site's "Share" button to show off, say, the latest in maternity ware.
Infertile couples cope with prolific Facebook friends Ian Shapira Washington Post Staff Writer 2010
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The vast majority of child geniuses are boys so no time “wasted” in maternity wards for them!
The Volokh Conspiracy » Age Discrmination Against Child Prodigy? 2010
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Now I know that you cant place a price on the importance of your kids or in being there with your kids - I am trying really!!! but after buying a house in the up rising market we are a head of that game but the $$$ paid out on maternity is not enough for any person to pay the 2006+ mortgage rates!!
» Victoria, Jill and Jennifer Share Maternity Leave Stories Strocel.com 2009
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Infertile couples say they protect themselves by hiding most, if not all, Facebook posts from pregnant friends who can't resist hitting the site's "Share" button to show off, say, the latest in maternity ware.
Infertile couples cope with prolific Facebook friends Ian Shapira Washington Post Staff Writer 2010
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I was in maternity clothes about 5 seconds after I found out I was pregnant with The Bug.
Descriptive Title: Random Preggy Business kittenpie 2008
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Seriously, I was in maternity clothes from 10 weeks on the second time around - and I was in fat jeans before that.
Descriptive Title: Random Preggy Business kittenpie 2008
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(Similar tests can reveal whether sons and daughters are really descended from their mothers and grandmothers, though non-maternity is much rarer than non-paternity.)
Who’s Your Daddy? 2007
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(Similar tests can reveal whether sons and daughters are really descended from their mothers and grandmothers, though non-maternity is much rarer than non-paternity.)
Who’s Your Daddy? 2007
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Lorentz's documentary on the squalid conditions in maternity wards for the poor was released in 1939 as The Fight for Life.
Caught in the Crossfire: Adrian Scott and the Politics of Americanism in 1940s Hollywood 2007
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