doula

Borrowed from Greek δούλα (doúla, “servant-woman”), from Ancient Greek δούλη (doúlē, “female slave”). Popularized by American anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1973 book The Tender Gift: Breastfeeding, where the word is credited to Eleni Rassias.

• IPA^(key): /ˈduːlə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -uːlə

doula (plural doulas)

1. A trained support person who provides emotional, physical and practical assistance to a pregnant woman or couple before, during or after childbirth.

   Coordinate terms: midwife, nurse

   • 1973, Dana Raphael, The Tender Gift: Breastfeeding, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, →ISBN, page 24:

     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.

   • 2020 June 5, Alyson Krueger, “The Agonizing Question: Is New York City Worth It Anymore?”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Rebekah Rosler, a therapist and doula, decided to leave, even though her family history in New York goes back to the 1870s, she said.

2. A trained person who provides similar support to someone who is diagnosed with an incurable condition and is receiving end-of-life care.

• doula on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• aloud

From Greek δούλα (doúla).

• IPA^(key): /ˈdou̯lɑ/, [ˈdo̞u̯lɑ̝]
• IPA^(key): /ˈdulɑ/, [ˈdulɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -oulɑ
• Syllabification^(key): dou‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): dou‧la

doula

1. doula (woman who advises, accompanies and provides non-clinical assistance (physical, emotional, etc.) to pregnant women, before, during and after childbirth)

• synnytystukihenkilö

• “doula”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

• luoda

doula

1. floor

Borrowed from English doula, from Greek δούλα (doúla, “servant-woman”).

• Rhymes: -olɐ, -owlɐ
• Hyphenation: dou‧la

doula f (plural doulas)

1. doula (woman who advises, accompanies and provides non-clinical assistance (physical, emotional, etc.) to pregnant women, before, during and after childbirth)

Borrowed from English doula, from Greek δούλα (doúla, “servant-woman”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈdula/ [ˈd̪u.la]
• Rhymes: -ula

doula f (plural doulas)

1. doula (woman who advises, accompanies and provides non-clinical assistance (physical, emotional, etc.) to pregnant women, before, during and after childbirth)

• “doula”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024