midwife

MID'WIFE, noun [supposed by Junius and Skinner to be meedwife, a woman that has a reward. This is probably a mistake. The word is a compound of mid, with, and wif, a woman; in analogy with the Latin obstetrix, from obsto, obstiti, to stand before. Latin cum, with, and madre, mother, which is precisely analogous to midwife ] A woman that assists other women in childbirth. MID'WIFE, verb intransitive To perform the office of midwife MID'WIFE, verb transitive To assist in childbirth.