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1. The state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing foetus in her uterus
   - pregnancy, gestation
    
2. The kinship relation between an offspring and the mother
   - motherhood
    
3. The quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth and affection of or befitting a mother
   - motherliness, maternalism, maternal quality

Derived forms: maternities

See also: maternal

Type of: family relationship, kinship, parental quality, physical condition, physiological condition, physiological state, relationship

Encyclopedia: Maternity