midwife

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary

n. someone who helps a new idea, project, or situation develop.

n. a person who assists in bringing about a specific result, project, or intellectual development.

“He was the midwife of the new peace treaty, working hard behind the scenes.”

“The philosopher acted as a midwife to the revolution, providing the intellectual framework that allowed the movement to take shape.”

C1 · Advanced Medicine Formal

v. to help a woman during the process of giving birth.

v. to act as a midwife; to provide professional assistance during labour and delivery.

“She has midwifed hundreds of healthy babies during her long career.”

“The senior nurse had midwifed generations of families in the small village before the new hospital was built.”

C2 · Proficiency Literary · Academic

v. to help a new idea or plan come into existence.

v. to facilitate or bring about the emergence of a new concept, movement, or historical event.

“The professor helped midwife the students' research project from a simple idea to a published paper.”

“The diplomat sought to midwife a new era of cooperation between the two warring nations through years of patient negotiation.”