birthplace

American  

[burth-pleys] / ˈbɜrθˌpleɪs /

noun

birthplaces plural

1. place of birth or origin.

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birthplace British  

/ ˈbɜːθˌpleɪs /

noun

1. the place where someone was born or where something originated

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birthplaces
  plural

Etymology

Origin of birthplace

First recorded in 1600–10; birth + place

Explanation

The city or country where someone is born is their birthplace. If you move to Atlanta, Georgia, you can tell your friends you live in the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. You'll often find the word birthplace describing the origin of a famous person, whether you're visiting the birthplace of Elvis Presley in Mississippi or reading about Tuskegee, Alabama, the birthplace of Rosa Parks. Birthplace also shows up on official documents like passport applications, which require you to prove your birthplace by submitting a birth certificate. The Middle English version of this word was birthstede, from stede, or "place."

Example Sentences

Things got off to a symbolic start on Thursday evening, when a commemorative arch reading “Welcome to the Birthplace of American Liberty” collapsed into pieces on stage.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2025

Since launching on 9 October, the Brontë Birthplace Committee's appeal has already raised nearly £20,000.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2023

That same day, just a few blocks away from Camden Yards, the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum will open a new exhibit to commemorate the career and legacy of the Hall of Fame third baseman.

From Washington Times • Oct. 5, 2023

But it was Tupelo where Elvis discovered gospel music while attending services at the small Assembly of God church, which was moved to the Birthplace campus in 2008.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2022

Then Edondurath returned to the Birthplace on the Gobrin Ice where the bodies of the others lay, but the last one was gone: he had escaped while Edondurath pursued Haharath.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin