doula
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doula
- /ˈduːlə/
Rhymes with -uːlə
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Greek δούλα (doúla, “servant-woman”), from Ancient Greek δούλη (doúlē, “female slave”). Popularized by the American anthropologist Dana Raphael in the book The Tender Gift: Breastfeeding (1973), where the word is credited to Eleni Rassias.
noun doulas
- A trained support person who provides emotional, physical and practical assistance to a pregnant woman or couple before, during or after childbirth. The function of the doula varies in different cultures from a little help here and there to complete succoring, including bathing, cooking, carrying, and feeding. Whatever the doula does, however, is less important than the fact that she is there.
-
A trained person who provides similar support to someone who is diagnosed with an incurable condition and is receiving end-of-life care.
Similar: death doula
- A trained person who provides support through any difficult process. If one partner wants an amicable divorce but the other is abusive, hostile or vengeful, a happy divorce may be impossible to achieve – a fact the media often ignores, said Lynn Kaplan, a divorce doula and coach in Toronto.
Translations
Every language
noun person assisting a pregnant mother before, during or after childbirth
| Español | doula |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 臨產特護 /临产特护 línchǎn tèhù, 臨產伴娘 /临产伴娘 línchǎn bànniáng |
| Português | doula |
| Français | doula |
| Deutsch | Doula |
| Русский | до́ула dóula |
noun person assisting someone receiving end-of-life care
| 中文 | 臨終關懷護理師 /临终关怀护理师 línzhōng guānhuái hùlǐshī |
|---|---|
| Français | doula |
Talk about this word "doula." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/doula. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. doula. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/doula "doula." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/doula.Cite this
@misc{doula_2026,
title = {doula},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/doula},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
