watch-birth

English

Etymology

watch +‎ birth

Noun

watch-birth (plural watch-births)

  1. (obsolete) A midwife.
    • 1641 [1578–84], “The Magnificence”, in Sylvester, Joshua, transl., Du Bartas His Diuine Weekes and Workes, translation of Semaines by Du Bartas, Guillaume de Salluste, page 215:
      This Pattern pleas'd thee ſo, th' haſt fram'd by it,
      Th' eternall Watch-births of thy ſacred Wit:
      Thy pithy Book of Proverbs richly-grave,
      Unto the PORCH may rich relation have:
      For that it gives us Oeconomike Lawes,
      Rules Politike, and Private civill Sawes;
      And for (the moſt) thoſe Leſſons generall
      At Humane matters ayme the moſt of all.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.