Word.ws English Dictionary

matrescence

matrescence noun: the process of becoming (and coming to inhabit the role of) a mother.

Noun

matrescence (uncountable)

  1. The process of becoming (and coming to inhabit the role of) a mother.
    • Thomas writes of matrescence as spiritual formation drawing analogies with the Judaeo-Christian tradition.2013, Denis Walsh, Soo Downe, Intrapartum Care, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 2003
    • Matrescence as a distinctive marker of birth centre care is all about fostering the 'becoming mother' journey.2017, Denis Walsh, Sheila Kitzinger, Norman Ellis, Improving Maternity Services: The Epidemiologically Based Needs Assessment Reviews, Vol 2, CRC Press, →ISBN

Examples of matrescence in a sentence

  • More recently, matrescence has re-entered the contemporary conversation through Alexandra Sacks, a reproductive psychiatrist and researcher, ...2020, Susan Hogan, Therapeutic Arts in Pregnancy, Birth and New Parenthood, Routledge, →ISBN:
  • We're here specifically to prepare you for these changes, so that you can take on matrescence as a wise woman.2021, Patricia Ladis, The Wise Woman's Guide to Your Healthiest Pregnancy and Birth: From Preconception to Postpartum, Simon and Schuster...

Origin of matrescence

Ultimately from Latin mātrēscēns, mātrēscō (“to become a mother”).

Questions about matrescence

What does matrescence mean?
Matrescence means the process of becoming (and coming to inhabit the role of) a mother.
How do you use matrescence in a sentence?
More recently, matrescence has re-entered the contemporary conversation through Alexandra Sacks, a reproductive psychiatrist and researcher, ...
What part of speech is matrescence?
Matrescence is a noun.

Words near matrescence in the dictionary

  1. Matraville
  2. Matrena
  3. matrep
  4. matres
  5. matres lectionis
  6. matrescence
  7. matrescent
  8. matresfamilias
  9. matreshka
  10. matreshkas
  11. matreshki

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: matrescence (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “matrescence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/matrescence. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.