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# midwife

noun (a midwife, midwives)

«midwife» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A trained nurse or health worker who helps women while they are pregnant, while they give birth and just afterwards. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#m1)
2. (figurative) A person who helps something new to come into being. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life a midwife visits a pregnant mum, helps the baby be born and checks the new baby. In stories, especially in history, the village midwife delivered babies at home. Phrases: community midwife, the midwife delivered the baby.

### Examples

- The midwife helped my baby brother be born. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#x1)
- Mum saw the midwife every few weeks before the birth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#x2)
- The midwife weighed the newborn baby. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#x3)
- My aunt is a midwife at the hospital. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#x4)
- In the old village, the midwife came to people's homes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#x5)
- The midwife listened to the baby's heartbeat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#x6)
- Men can be midwives too. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/#x7)

### Note

Irregular plural: midwives (f to v), like wife/wives. «Mid-» here once meant «with», so midwife = «with the woman». Both men and women can be midwives.

## In Jewish tradition

The Hebrew midwives of Egypt, Shiphrah and Puah, are told by Pharaoh to kill Hebrew baby boys. Midwives also help at the births of Perez and Zerah.

**Interpretation.** The rabbis praise the midwives for fearing God and refusing the order. Some commentators say they were Jochebed and Miriam.

### Examples

- And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.' (Torah EXO.1.19, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/M/midwife/#x1)
- And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying: 'This came out first.' (Torah GEN.38.28, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/M/midwife/#x2)

### Note

Irregular plural: midwives (f to v), like wife/wives. «Mid-» here once meant «with», so midwife = «with the woman». Both men and women can be midwives.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «midwife» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/midwife/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«midwife» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/midwife.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «midwife» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/M/midwife/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«midwife» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/midwife.html) on Mova free.