maternity
/məˈtɜːnəti/ (bre, ipa) · /məˈtɜːrnəti/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˈtər-nə-tē/ (ame, mw) · /məˈtɜː.nə.ti/ (bre, ipa) · /məˈtɝː.nə.t̬i/ (ame, ipa)
maternity — noun
1. the experience and status of having a child and being responsible for raising th
the experience and status of having a child and being responsible for raising that child as a mother
After her daughter was born, Manuela said that maternity gave her life a new purpose.
maternity as a life-changing experience
The book club focused on novels that explore the realities of maternity.
Zuri's family threw a celebration to welcome her into maternity.
When her daughter started crawling, Rania realised maternity had reshaped how she thought about work.
The documentary follows four mothers through their first year of maternity.
- motherhood
more common in everyday English; 'motherhood' is preferred in casual and personal contexts
- motherliness
emphasises the caring qualities rather than the status; less commonly used
文法句型
maternity as an abstract uncountable noun
用法筆記
Less common than the synonym 'motherhood' in everyday speech. 'Maternity' as a noun tends to appear in more formal or literary contexts.
常見錯誤
2. the gentle, caring, and protective qualities that are traditionally associated w
the gentle, caring, and protective qualities that are traditionally associated with being a mother
The elderly teacher cared for her students with a warmth that felt like true maternity.
maternity as a quality shown through caring actions
There was a deep sense of maternity in the way Asher held his newborn niece.
The sculpture captures the tenderness of maternity in the mother's gentle pose.
In the story, a young girl learns about patience and maternity from her grandmother.
- motherliness
the closest synonym; also refers to motherly qualities but sounds slightly more old-fashioned
- maternal instinct
focuses on the inborn drive to care for a child, not the general quality
文法句型
maternity as an abstract quality
用法筆記
This sense is literary and considerably less common than the adjective sense. It refers to stereotypical motherly traits such as gentleness, patience, and protectiveness, rather than the status of being a mother.
maternity — adjective
- maternitypositive
- more maternitycomparative
- most maternitysuperlative
1. relating to the period when a woman is pregnant or has recently given birth, inc
relating to the period when a woman is pregnant or has recently given birth, including the medical care, clothing, and workplace policies associated with this time
The company gives new parents six months of paid maternity leave.
collocation: maternity leave
Faisal drove his wife to the maternity hospital when her labour began.
Élise bought a comfortable maternity dress for the final months of her pregnancy.
The maternity ward on the third floor has twelve private rooms.
Many hospitals now offer free maternity classes for first-time parents.
文法句型
mattr + noun (e.g. maternity leave, maternity ward)
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive position). Common in workplace contexts (maternity leave, maternity pay, maternity benefits), medical settings (maternity ward, maternity hospital, maternity care), and retail (maternity clothes, maternity dress).