An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Hebamme

by Friedrich Kluge

Hebamme, feminine, ‘midwife,’ from Middle High German hębamme; the latter form, from hęve-amme, has been modified in sense by connection with heben, its last component representing an earlier anne equivalent in meaning, Old High German usually hevi-anna, feminine; anna, feminine, ‘woman’ is cognate with Latin ănus, ‘old woman’ (see Ahn), and hence probably stands for anua, anva (compare Mann, Kinn). Yet Old High German hęvianna may be really nothing more than the present participle of heben, primary form hafjan(d)jô, ‘she who lifts,’ of which the later forms are modifications. In Middle English midwîf, English midwife, Modern Dutch vroedvrouw, from vroed, ‘wise, prudent’ (compare Spanish comadre, French sage-femme); no word common to Teutonic can be found. There were probably no regular midwives in the Teutonic period.