What does accoucheuse mean?
An accoucheuse is a woman who attends women during childbirth — in plain terms, a midwife. The word entered English from French in the early nineteenth century, derived from the verb 'accoucher', meaning to deliver or be delivered of a child, which itself traces back to the Latin 'collocare', to lay or couch down, reflecting the custom of lying in during labor. In its day, the term carried connotations of trained professionalism, distinguishing a skilled birth attendant from an untrained helper, and it was often used of respected practitioners who managed normal deliveries, sometimes alongside physicians known as accoucheurs. Today the word has largely fallen out of everyday use: modern English speakers say 'midwife', and 'accoucheuse' survives mainly in historical writing about medicine and obstetrics, in translations of French literature, and as a deliberately archaic or elegant stylistic choice. Its feminine ending marks it clearly, with 'accoucheur' serving as the masculine equivalent.
nounA woman who assists at childbirth; a female midwife. The term is a somewhat dated or French-flavored alternative to the more common word 'midwife'.
- A woman who assists at childbirth; a female midwife.
"In nineteenth-century Paris, an accoucheuse attended nearly every birth among the working poor."
"The village accoucheuse had delivered half the babies in the valley."
"She trained as an accoucheuse before qualifying as a fully certified nurse-midwife."
Standard English plural; pronounced identically except for the final /z/.
"By 1900, licensed accoucheuses served most of the city's maternity wards."
Borrowed straight from the French for 'to lie down' — an accoucheuse is literally the one who helps you through the lying-in.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accoucheuse
Accoucheuse comes from French, where it is the feminine form of accoucheur, both derived from the verb accoucher, 'to deliver' or 'to be brought to bed of a child'. That verb combines the prefix à- ('to') with coucher ('to lay down, put to bed'), from Latin collocare, 'to place together, arrange'. English borrowed the word in the early nineteenth century, when fashionable medical writing frequently drew on French obstetric terminology; cognates include accoucheur, accouchement (childbirth), and, distantly, the English words couch and colloquial.
Related word forms
How accoucheuse is actually used
Somewhat formal and now largely historical or literary in English; 'midwife' is the standard modern term. The masculine counterpart is 'accoucheur', and the related noun 'accouchement' means childbirth itself. The word retains a distinctly French flavor.
Easily confused with accoucheuse
An accoucheuse is a woman who attends childbirth, while an accoucheur is a man in the same role (often a male obstetrician).