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obstetrics

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ob⋅stet⋅rics

[uhb-ste-triks]
–noun (used with a singular verb)
the branch of medical science concerned with childbirth and caring for and treating women in or in connection with childbirth. Abbreviation: OB, ob

Origin:
1810–20; see obstetrical, -ics
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ob·stet·rics   (ŏb-stět'rĭks, əb-)   
n.   (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
The branch of medicine that deals with the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the recuperative period following delivery.
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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Cultural Dictionary

obstetrics [(uhb-ste-triks)]

A branch of medicine that deals with the care of women during pregnancy, labor, and the period of recovery following childbirth.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

obstetrics 
1819, from obstetric (adj.), 1742, from Mod.L. obstetricus "pertaining to a midwife," from obstetrix (gen. obstetricis) "midwife," lit. "one who stands opposite (the woman giving birth)," from obstare "stand opposite to" (see obstacle). The true adjective would be obstetricic, "but only pedantry would take exception to obstetric at this stage of its career." [Fowler]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ob·stet·rics
Pronunciation: &b-'ste-triks, äb-
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
: a branch ofmedical science that deals with birth and with its antecedents and sequelae
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

obstetrics ob·stet·rics (ŏb-stět'rĭks, əb-)
n.
Abbr. OB
The branch of medicine that deals with the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the recuperative period following delivery.

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