Etymology From French maternité, from Latin māternitās. Pronunciation IPA(key): /məˈtɜː(ɹ)nɪti/ Audio (Southern England):(file) Noun maternity (countable and uncountable, plural maternities) The state of being a mother; motherhood. The state of being pregnant; pregnancy. A ward or department in a hospital in which babies are born. She's working in maternity this month. Synonyms (ward): maternity ward Antonyms paternity (with respect to gender) Derived terms maternity bramaternity dressmaternity hospitalmaternity jeansmaternity leavematernity testmaternity wearmaternitywear Translations state of being a mother; motherhood Bulgarian: майчинство (bg) n (majčinstvo) Crimean Tatar: analıq Dutch: materniteit (nl) f, moederschap (nl) n Esperanto: patrineco Finnish: äitiys (fi) Greek: μητρότητα (el) f (mitrótita) Norman: matèrnité f Polish: macierzyństwo (pl) n Russian: материнство (ru) n (materinstvo) state of being pregnant; pregnancy Bulgarian: бременност (bg) f (bremennost) Finnish: raskaus (fi) Greek: εγκυμοσύνη (el) f (egkymosýni) Norman: matèrnité f Polish: ciąża (pl) f Russian: беременность (ru) f (beremennostʹ) ward or department in a hospital in which babies are born Bulgarian: натология f (natologija) Czech: porodnické oddělení n Finnish: synnytysosasto (fi), synnytyssairaala (fi) Greek: μαιευτήριο (el) n (maieftírio) Malay: korban laki-laki Polish: porodówka (pl) f