Wordwyrt

midwife

/ˈmɪdˌwaɪf/MIH-dwyf
/ˈmɪdˌwaɪf/MIH-dwyf

Meaningwith-woman

Common meaning: a professional who supports childbirth

Journey through time

  1. Old EnglishmidsourceB&T
  2. Middle Englishmidwifsource
  3. Englishmidwife‘a professional who supports childbirth’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English mid ‘with-woman’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry MIDWIFE, p. 367 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • mid Old English “with-woman”

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app