maternity

maternity
    n 1: the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to
         birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus
         [syn: {pregnancy}, {gestation}, {maternity}]
    2: the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother
       [syn: {motherhood}, {maternity}]
    3: the quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth
       and affection of or befitting a mother; "the girl's
       motherliness made her invaluable in caring for the children"
       [syn: {motherliness}, {maternalism}, {maternal quality},
       {maternity}]
    

Maternity \Ma*ter"ni*ty\, n. [F. maternit['e], LL. maternitas.]
   1. The state of being a mother; motherhood.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The character of a mother; maternal quality; motherliness.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. The maternity ward; the maternity department of a
      hospital.
      [PJC]
    

maternity \ma*ter"ni*ty\, a.
   1. Of or pertaining to childbirth or the period during which
      a woman is pregnant; as, maternity care; a maternity
      hospital.
      [PJC]

   2. For use during pregnancy; as, a maternity outfit.
      [PJC]
    

43 Moby Thesaurus words for "maternity":
      affiliation, agnation, alliance, ancestry, blood,
      blood relationship, brotherhood, brothership, cognation,
      common ancestry, common descent, connection, consanguinity,
      cousinhood, cousinship, enation, fatherhood, filiation, fraternity,
      kindred, kinship, maternalness, matrilineage, matriliny, matrisib,
      matrocliny, motherhood, motherliness, mothership, parenthood,
      paternity, patrilineage, patriliny, patrisib, patrocliny,
      pregnancy, propinquity, relation, relationship, sibship,
      sisterhood, sistership, ties of blood