MIDWIFERY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does midwifery mean? 

• MIDWIFERY (noun)
  The noun MIDWIFERY has 2 senses:

1. the branch of medicine dealing with childbirth and care of the mother

2. assisting women at childbirth

  Familiarity information: MIDWIFERY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MIDWIFERY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The branch of medicine dealing with childbirth and care of the mother

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

midwifery; OB; obstetrics; tocology

Hypernyms ("midwifery" is a kind of...):

medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)

Domain member category:

induction of labor ((obstetrics) inducing the childbirth process artificially by administering oxytocin or by puncturing the amniotic sac)

presentation ((obstetrics) position of the fetus in the uterus relative to the birth canal)

incompetent cervix ((obstetrics) uterine cervix that becomes dilated before term and without labor often resulting in miscarriage or premature birth)

nullipara ((obstetrics) a woman who has never give birth to a child)

gravida I; primigravida ((obstetrics) a woman who is pregnant for the first time)

para I; primipara ((obstetrics) woman who has been delivered of a child for the first time)

quadripara ((obstetrics) woman who has given birth to a viable infant in each of four pregnancies)

quintipara ((obstetrics) woman who has given birth to a viable infant in each of five pregnancies)

para; parity ((obstetrics) the number of liveborn children a woman has delivered)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "midwifery"):

fetology; foetology (the branch of medicine concerned with the fetus in the uterus)

perinatology (the branch of obstetrics concerned with the anatomy and physiology and diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the mother and the fetus or newborn baby during late pregnancy and childbirth and the puerperium)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Assisting women at childbirth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("midwifery" is a kind of...):

delivery; obstetrical delivery (the act of delivering a child)

 Context examples 

A licensed health care practitioner educated in the two disciplines of nursing and midwifery.

(Certified Nurse Midwife, NCI Thesaurus)

An individual educated in the discipline of midwifery, who possesses evidence of certification according to the requirements of ACNM.

(Certified Midwife, NCI Thesaurus)