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OB

OB

30 4.6
The part of medicine that cares for women during pregnancy and childbirth
  • noun
  • /oʊ bi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : obstetricia
  • I need to make a phone call to my ob-gyn.
  • ob/gyn
  • OB resident
  • OB nurse

Also, what if I was at the OB and found out something bad?

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Examples

  • She decided to specialize in OB after seeing the joy of childbirth in her internship.

  • An experienced OB can provide important advice on prenatal care and delivery options.

  • "One way would have been for us to start up an OB program," says hospital president Philip Down.

    Academic text (1997)
  • And so I wanted to be an OB GYN.

  • Besides the infertility practice, we also provide a full range of OB/GYN services.

  • On the show, Mindy plays a young OB/GYN doctor trying to balance her personal and professional life.

    Blog text (6)
  • My father's an OB/GYN, but the hours are too erratic.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The number of ob-gyns has increased nearly 60 percent, from 26,305 in 1980 to 42,059 in 2004.

    Academic text (2007)
  • If you have any concerns about your pregnancy, you should speak with your OB.

Synonyms

obstetrics
vsOB
  • Specialized
13 4.4

The branch of medicine that cares for women during pregnancy and childbirth

is the shortened written form used for that medical field
obs
vsOB
  • Jargon
8.7

A hospital unit that cares for pregnant women and helps during childbirth

is the formal abbreviation used in professional writing or records
tocology
vsOB
  • Archaic
9.9

The medical field that cares for women during childbirth and delivery

is the general abbreviated term covering the whole childbirth field

Compounds

8.2

A large area of sea on the western coast of Siberia where the Ob River flows into

A large bay in western Siberia where the Ob River flows into the Kara Sea

6.2

A very long river in western Siberia that flows north to the Kara Sea

Surface Forms

OB singular
OBs plural

Etymology

OB is short for obstetrics, a word that comes from the Latin obstetrix meaning 'midwife', someone who 'stands near' a woman during birth. That's why OB refers to the doctor or clinic that cares for pregnancy and childbirth.