Maternity

n.	1.	The state of being a mother; motherhood.
	2.	The character of a mother; maternal quality; motherliness.
	3.	The maternity ward; the maternity department of a hospital.
a.	1.	Of or pertaining to childbirth or the period during which a woman is pregnant; as, maternity care; a maternity hospital.
	2.	For use during pregnancy; as, a maternity outfit.

Noun	1.	maternity - the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus Synonyms: pregnancy, gestation
	2.	maternity - the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother Synonyms: motherhood
	3.	maternity - the quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth and affection of or befitting a mother; "the girl's motherliness made her invaluable in caring for the children" Synonyms: maternal quality, maternalism, motherliness

MATERNITY. The state or condition of a mother.
     2. It is either legitimate or natural. The former is the condition of the mother who has given birth to legitimate children, while the latter is the condition of her who has given birth to illegitimate children. Maternity is always certain, while the paternity (q.v.) is only presumed.

affiliation, agnation, alliance, ancestry, blood, blood relationship, brotherhood, brothership, cognation, common ancestry, common descent, connection, consanguinity, cousinhood, cousinship, enation, fatherhood, filiation, fraternity, kindred, kinship, maternalness, matrilineage, matriliny, matrisib, matrocliny, motherhood, motherliness, mothership, parenthood, paternity, patrilineage, patriliny, patrisib, patrocliny, pregnancy, propinquity, relation, relationship, sibship, sisterhood, sistership, ties of blood