Meanings
nounmaternity leave (countable and uncountable, plural maternity leaves)
plural maternity leaves
- countableuncountableA leave of absence from a job for a mother to care of a baby.
My wife is on a two year maternity leave while she takes care of her newborn baby.
1 more example
I went on maternity leave in May 2022, so have been away for nearly 14 months.
2023 July 26, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: Rebuild trust or it's game over”, in RAIL, number 988, page 3
Translations
Afrikaans kraamverlof
- kraamverlofleave of absence
Arabic إجَازَة أُمُومَة
- إجَازَة أُمُومَةleave of absence
Bulgarian отпуск по майчинство
- отпуск по майчинство (otpusk po majčinstvo)leave of absence
Chinese Mandarin 產假 /产假, 育嬰假 /育婴假
- 產假 /产假 (chǎnjià)leave of absence
- 育嬰假 /育婴假 (yùyīngjià)leave of absence
Czech mateřská dovolená
- mateřská dovolenáleave of absence
Danish barsel
- barselleave of absence
Dutch zwangerschapsverlof, moederschapsrust
- zwangerschapsverlofleave of absence
- moederschapsrustleave of absence
Finnish äitiysvapaa
- äitiysvapaaleave of absence
French congé de maternité
- congé de maternitéleave of absence
German Mutterschaftsurlaub, Mutterschutz
- Mutterschaftsurlaubleave of absence
- Mutterschutzleave of absence
- Erziehungsurlaubleave of absence
Greek άδεια μητρότητας, άδεια εγκυμοσύνης
- άδεια μητρότητας (ádeia mitrótitas)leave of absence
- άδεια εγκυμοσύνης (ádeia egkymosýnis)leave of absence
Indonesian cuti hamil
- cuti hamilleave of absence
Japanese 育児休業, 産休
- 育児休業 (ikuji kyūgyō)leave of absence
- 産休 (sankyū)leave of absence
Malay cuti bersalin
- cuti bersalinleave of absence
Polish urlop macierzyński
- urlop macierzyńskileave of absence
Portuguese licença-maternidade
- licença-maternidadeleave of absence
Russian декре́тный о́тпуск, о́тпуск по бере́менности и ро́дам
- декре́тный о́тпуск (dekrétnyj ótpusk)leave of absence
- о́тпуск по бере́менности и ро́дам (ótpusk po berémennosti i ródam)leave of absence
Spanish permiso de maternidad, excedencia maternal
- permiso de maternidadleave of absence
- excedencia maternalleave of absence
- diábetes maternaleave of absence
Swedish moderskapsledighet
- moderskapsledighetleave of absence
Turkish analık izni, doğum izni
- analık iznileave of absence
- doğum iznileave of absence
Cite this entry
APA
maternity leave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maternity%20leave
MLA
“maternity leave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maternity%20leave. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maternity leave,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maternity%20leave.
Source: maternity leave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.