maternity

Plural: maternities

Noun

• the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus
• the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother
• the quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth and affection of or befitting a mother
• The state of being a mother; motherhood.
• The state of being pregnant; pregnancy.
• A ward or department in a hospital in which babies are born.

Examples

• She's working in maternity this month.

Synonyms

gestation, maternal quality, maternalism, motherhood, motherliness, pregnancy, maternity ward

Antonyms

paternity