mid•wife
Pronunciation: (mid'wīf"), [key]
— n., pl. v., -wives -wifed -wived, -wif•ing wiv•ing.
—n.
- a person trained to assist women in childbirth.
- a person or thing that produces or aids in producing something new or different.
—v.t.
- to assist in the birth of (a baby).
- to produce or aid in producing (something new): to midwife a new generation of computers.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.