Maternity

[muh-tur-ni-tee] /məˈtɜr nɪ ti/

noun
1.
the state of being a mother; motherhood.
2.
motherly quality; motherliness.
3.
a section of a hospital devoted to the care of women at childbirth and of their newborn infants.
adjective
4.
of, relating to, or for the period in which a woman is pregnant or has just given birth to a child.
5.
for mothers during and after childbirth or for the care of their newborn babies:
a maternity hospital.
6.
for wear by pregnant women:
maternity clothes.
/məˈtɜːnɪtɪ/
noun
1.
motherhood
2.
the characteristics associated with motherhood; motherliness
3.
(modifier) relating to pregnant women or women at the time of childbirth: a maternity ward
n.

1610s, “quality or condition of being a mother,” from French maternité “motherhood” (15c.), from Medieval Latin maternitatem (nominative maternitas) “motherhood,” from Latin maternus (see maternal). Used from 1893 as a quasi-adjective in reference to garments designed for pregnant women.

maternity ma·ter·ni·ty (mə-tûr’nĭ-tē)
n.

adj.
Relating to pregnancy, childbirth, or the first months of motherhood.