maternity
noun (maternity, uncountable); adjective (maternity — before a noun)
Everyday
- Maternity is the state of being a mother. tree →
- As an adjective it means to do with having a baby: maternity clothes, a maternity ward. tree →
- (work) Maternity leave is time off work that a mother gets before and after her baby is born, often with maternity pay. tree →
In the lessons
In everyday adult life a teacher may go on maternity leave and a supply teacher takes the class. Hospitals have maternity wards where babies are born. Phrases: «maternity leave», «maternity ward», «maternity pay», «maternity clothes». The father's version is «paternity».
Examples
- Our teacher is going on maternity leave next month. tree →
- My little brother was born in the maternity ward. tree →
- Mum wore maternity clothes before the baby came. tree →
- Some mothers get maternity pay while they look after their babies. tree →
- The maternity unit is on the second floor. tree →
- When the baby is born, the dad may take paternity leave. tree →
- She returned to work after a year of maternity leave. tree →
Note
Mostly used before another noun (maternity leave). Related: maternal (motherly), mother. Opposite for fathers: paternity. Formal; children usually say «having a baby».
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «maternity» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «maternity» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/maternity/