birth
English
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English birthe (1250), from earlier burthe, burde,[1] from Old Norse burðr, byrd[2] (Old Swedish byrth, Swedish börd), replacing Old English gebyrd (rare variant byrþ)[3]. The Old Norse is from Proto-Germanic *burdiz (compare Old Frisian berde, berd); Old English gebyrd is from prefixed *gaburdiz (compare Dutch geboorte, German Geburt), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰr̥tis (compare Latin fors ‘luck’, Old Irish brith), from *bʰer- ‘to carry, bear’. More at bear.
Noun
Wikipedia enbirth (countable and uncountable; plural births)
- (uncountable) The process of childbearing.
- (countable) An instance of childbirth.
- (countable) A beginning or start; a point of origin.
- (uncountable) The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.
- He was of noble birth, but fortune had not favored him.
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Related terms
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References
- ^ Robert K. Barnhart, ed., Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (1988; reprint, Edinburgh: Chambers, 2008), 95.
- ^ Richard Cleasby and Gudbrand Vigfusson's 1874 Icelandic-English dictionary.
- ^ Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller's 1898 Anglo-Saxon dictionary.
Adjective
birth (not comparable)
- A familial relationship established by childbirth.
- Her birth father left when she was a baby; she was raised by her mother and stepfather.
Synonyms
Verb
birth (third-person singular simple present births, present participle birthing, simple past and past participle birthed)
- (dated or regional) To bear or give birth to (a child).
- 1939, Sidney Howard, Ben Hecht, Jo Swerling, John Van Druten, Oliver H.P. Garrett, Gone with the Wind (film)
- "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies!"
- 1939, Sidney Howard, Ben Hecht, Jo Swerling, John Van Druten, Oliver H.P. Garrett, Gone with the Wind (film)
- (figuratively) To produce, give rise to.
- 2006, R. Bruce Hull, Infinite Nature, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 9780226359441, page 156:
- Biological evolution created a human mind that enabled cultural evolution, which now outpaces and outclasses the force that birthed it.
- 2006, R. Bruce Hull, Infinite Nature, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 9780226359441, page 156:
Usage notes
- The phrase give birth (to) is much more common, especially in literal use.
Translations
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Albanian
Etymology
Probably from Proto-Indo-European *mer 'to plait, bind; rope. The meaning of 'son, little boy' is a -th lengthening of bir 'son'.
Noun
birth m (indefinite plural birthe, definite singular birthi, definite plural birthat)
Related terms
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