Midwife vs Housewife - What's the difference?
midwife | housewife |
A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician.
(rare, figuratively) Someone who assists in bringing about some result or project.
To act as a midwife
(figuratively) to facilitate the emergence of
:: Thomas L. Friedman. "Attention: Baby on Board." New York Times . April 13, 2010.
The wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household.
A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work; – called also (hussy).
* 1852: Tom Taylor and Charles Reade, Masks and Faces Act II
As nouns the difference between midwife and housewife
is that midwife is a person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician while housewife is the wife of a householder; the mistress of a family; the female head of a household.As verbs the difference between midwife and housewife
is that midwife is to act as a midwife while housewife is .midwife
English
Noun
(midwives)- 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.
Synonyms
* accoucheuseCoordinate terms
* accoucheur * (male) midwife * man-midwifeDerived terms
* midwife toad * midwiferyVerb
- 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.
Usage notes
While elementary students are taught "replace 'f' with 'v'," the mistake resulting in "midwifed" is made often enough in informal/colloquial language to indicate the rule is not consistently followed.See also
* doula * obstetrician * obstetrics English nouns with irregular plurals English transitive verbshousewife
English
Noun
(housewives)- Woffington's housewife , made by herself, homely to the eye, but holds everything in the world