midwife of men's thoughts
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
So Socrates termed himself; and, as Mr. Grote observes, "No other man ever struck out of others so many sparks to set light to original thought.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “midwife of men's thoughts” mean?
So Socrates termed himself; and, as Mr. Grote observes, "No other man ever struck out of others so many sparks to set light to original thought.
Is “midwife of men's thoughts” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.