Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “midwife” come from?

Midwife comes from Old English midwīf, a compound of mid- and wīf meaning "woman."

midwife (English): A person, usually a woman, who is trained to...

Definitions

  1. A person, usually a woman, who is trained to...

Ancestry of “midwife”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-eryAdded to nouns to form other nouns meaning the...
2French-eriedenoting a shop selling a certain product;...
3Old French-erieused to form feminine nouns
4Old French-ieindicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one
5Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
6Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
7Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
8Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “midwife”

  • midwifery
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →