{ } a. [ Gr. maieytiko`s, fr. mai^a midwife. ] 1. Serving to assist childbirth. Cudworth. [ 1913 Webster ]
2. [ Fig. ] Aiding, or tending to, the definition and interpretation of thoughts or language. Payne. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. A method of teaching by question and answer; it was used by Socrates to elicit truths from his students; -- called also the Socratic method [ WordNet 1.5 ]
n. The art of giving birth (i. e., clearness and conviction) to ideas, which are conceived as struggling for birth. Payne. [ 1913 Webster ]