maternity
noun/məˈtɜːnəti/
/məˈtɜːrnəti/
[uncountable]- the state of being or becoming a mother
- maternity clothes (= clothes for women who are pregnant)
- a maternity ward/hospital (= one where women go to give birth to their babies)
Oxford Collocations DictionaryMaternity is used before these nouns:- benefit
- bra
- care
- …
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from French maternité, from Latin maternus, from mater ‘mother’.Definitions on the go
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maternity