# midwife

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɪd.waɪf/ · frequency rank #20,428

## Definitions
1. A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician.
2. Someone who assists in bringing about some result or project.

## Etymology
From Middle English midwif, corresponding to mid (“with”) + wif (“woman, wife, female”). It appears not to be entirely clear whether the original understanding was “with-woman” in the sense of “attending/assisting woman”, or “they who are with the woman” (namely the mother).

## Easily confused with
- **midwifery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/midwife-vs-midwifery)
- **midlife** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/midlife-vs-midwife)
- **midline** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/midline-vs-midwife)

## Common misspellings (10)
`imdwife`, `mdiwife`, `middwife`, `midiwfe`, `midwfie`, `midwief`, `midwiffe`, `midwwife`, `miwdife`, `mmidwife`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/midwife