Meanings
- uncountableThe 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 20033 more examples
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, →ISBNMore 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, →ISBNWe're here specifically to prepare you for these changes, so that you can take on matrescence as a wise woman. We want you to be calm and excited, ...
2021, Patricia Ladis, The Wise Woman's Guide to Your Healthiest Pregnancy and Birth: From Preconception to Postpartum, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN
Origin
- Latinmātrēscēns
- Englishmatrescence
Ultimately from Latin mātrēscēns, mātrēscō (“to become a mother”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
matrescence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/matrescence
“matrescence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/matrescence. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “matrescence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/matrescence.
Source: matrescence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.