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Surgeon vs Midwife - What's the difference?

surgeon | midwife |

As nouns the difference between surgeon and midwife

is that surgeon is one who performs surgery; a doctor who performs operations on people or animals while midwife is a person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician.

As a verb midwife is

to act as a midwife.

surgeon

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • One who performs surgery; a doctor who performs operations on people or animals.
  • The surgeon refused to operate because the patient was her son.
  • A surgeonfish.
  • Usage notes

    * In the UK, a surgeon holds a fellowship or a postgraduate degree in order to be known as a surgeon. For instance: FRCS or * In the United States, a surgeon belongs to a subcategory of doctors (physicians) whose practice is largely or exclusively focused on surgery. They generally hold a credential from a medical body regulating the specialty in which they practice.

    Synonyms

    * sawbones (slang)

    Derived terms

    * neurosurgeon * psychosurgeon * brain surgeon * surgeonfish

    midwife

    English

    Noun

    (midwives)
  • 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.
  • (rare, figuratively) Someone who assists in bringing about some result or project.
  • Synonyms

    * accoucheuse

    Coordinate terms

    * accoucheur * (male) midwife * man-midwife

    Derived terms

    * midwife toad * midwifery

    Verb

  • To act as a midwife
  • (figuratively) 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.
  • :: Thomas L. Friedman. "Attention: Baby on Board." New York Times . April 13, 2010.
  • 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 verbs