the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus

[ Syn: pregnancy , gestation ]

the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother

[ Syn: motherhood ]

the quality of having or showing the tenderness and warmth and affection of or befitting a mother; the girls motherliness made her invaluable in caring for the children

[ Syn: motherliness , maternalism , maternal quality ]