maternity - definition, thesaurus and related words from WordNet-Online

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Noun maternity has 3 senses

pregnancy, gestation, maternity - the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus
--₁ is a kind of physiological state, physiological condition
--₁ has parts:

cleavage, segmentation; quickening; parturiency, labor, labour, confinement, lying-in, travail, childbed; morning sickness

--₁ has particulars:

trouble; gravidity, gravidness, gravidation; gravida; parity, para; ectopic pregnancy, extrauterine pregnancy, ectopic gestation, extrauterine gestation, eccyesis, metacyesis; entopic pregnancy; placenta previa

motherhood, maternity - the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother
--₂ is a kind of kinship, family relationship, relationship
motherliness, maternalism, maternal quality, maternity - the quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth and affection of or befitting a mother; "the girl's motherliness made her invaluable in caring for the children"
--₃ is a kind of parental quality