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maternity

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ma⋅ter⋅ni⋅ty

  [muh-tur-ni-tee]
Use maternity in a Sentence
–noun
1. the state of being a mother; motherhood.
2. motherly quality; motherliness.
3. a section of a hospital devoted to the care of women at childbirth and of their newborn infants.
–adjective
4. of, pertaining to, or for the period in which a woman is pregnant or has just given birth to a child.
5. for mothers during and after childbirth or for the care of their newborn babies: a maternity hospital.
6. for wear by pregnant women: maternity clothes.
Origin:
1605–15; < ML māternitās, equiv. to L mātern(us) (see maternal ) + -itās -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Maternity
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ma·ter·ni·ty   (mə-tûr'nĭ-tē)   
n.   pl. ma·ter·ni·ties

  1. The state of being a mother; motherhood.

  2. The feelings or characteristics associated with being a mother; motherliness.

  3. A maternity ward.

adj.  Relating to or effective during pregnancy, childbirth, or the first months of motherhood: a maternity dress; maternity leave.

[French maternité, from Medieval Latin māternitās, from Latin māternus, maternal; see maternal.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

maternity 
1611, "quality or condition of being a mother," from Fr. maternité "motherhood," from M.L. maternitatem (nom. maternitas), from L. maternus (see maternal). Used from 1893 in ref. to garments designed for pregnant women.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1ma·ter·ni·ty
Pronunciation: m&-'t&r-n&t-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: a hospital facility designed for the care of women before and during childbirth and for the care of newborn babies

Main Entry: 2maternity
Function: adjective
: of or relating to pregnancy or the period close to and including childbirth maternity home>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

maternity ma·ter·ni·ty (mə-tûr'nĭ-tē)
n.

  1. The state of being a mother; motherhood.

  2. The feelings or characteristics associated with being a mother; motherliness.

  3. A maternity ward.

adj.
Relating to pregnancy, childbirth, or the first months of motherhood.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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