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# maternity

«maternity» in Mova's school dictionary: **the state of being a mother** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (maternity, uncountable); adjective (maternity — before a noun)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Maternity is the state of being a mother. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#m1)

2) As an adjective it means to do with having a baby: maternity clothes, a maternity ward. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#m2)

3) (work) Maternity leave is time off work that a mother gets before and after her baby is born, often with maternity pay. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday adult life a teacher may go on maternity leave and a supply teacher takes the class. Hospitals have maternity wards where babies are born. Phrases: «maternity leave», «maternity ward», «maternity pay», «maternity clothes». The father's version is «paternity».

### examples

- Our teacher is going on maternity leave next month. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#x1)
- My little brother was born in the maternity ward. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#x2)
- Mum wore maternity clothes before the baby came. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#x3)
- Some mothers get maternity pay while they look after their babies. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#x4)
- The maternity unit is on the second floor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#x5)
- When the baby is born, the dad may take paternity leave. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#x6)
- She returned to work after a year of maternity leave. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/#x7)

### note

Mostly used before another noun (maternity leave). Related: maternal (motherly), mother. Opposite for fathers: paternity. Formal; children usually say «having a baby».

### In the corpora

- [Parents get time off work, called maternity and paternity leave, to look after a new baby.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/19-a-new-baby-in-the-house/5/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «maternity» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maternity/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.