midwife

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician.

   A hundred years ago, a midwife would bring the baby into the world - going to a hospital to deliver a baby was either impossible or unheard of.

2. 2
   noun

   Someone who assists in bringing about some result or project.

   He had not read it, but he said that every detail in it was true. This struck me as a rather cavalier attitude to truth, but hatred is not the midwife of caution or accuracy.

3. 3
   verb

   To facilitate the emergence of.

   But the bigger objective was to help Iraqis midwife a democratic model that could inspire reform across the Arab-Muslim world and give the youth there a chance at a better future.

4. 4
   noun

   a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies

5. 5
   verb

   To act as a midwife.

Etymology

From Middle English midwif, corresponding to mid (“with”) + wif (“woman, wife, female”). It appears not to be entirely clear whether the original understanding was “with-woman” in the sense of “attending/assisting woman”, or “they who are with the woman” (namely the mother).