birth

[ burth ]

noun

1. an act or instance of being born:

   the day of his birth.

2. the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring; childbirth; parturition:

   a difficult birth.

3. lineage; extraction; descent:

   of Grecian birth.

   Synonyms: family, blood, line, ancestry, parentage

4. high or noble lineage:

   to be foolishly vain about one's birth.

5. natural heritage:

   a musician by birth.

6. any coming into existence; origin; beginning:

   the birth of Protestantism; the birth of an idea.

   Synonyms: inauguration, genesis, inception, commencement, start

7. Archaic. something that is born.

verb (used with object)

, Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.

1. to give birth to.
2. to assist in giving birth; act as midwife for.

birth

/ bɜːθ /

noun

1. the process of bearing young; parturition; childbirth natal
2. the act or fact of being born; nativity
3. the coming into existence of something; origin
4. ancestry; lineage

   of high birth

5. noble ancestry

   a man of birth

6. natural or inherited talent

   an artist by birth

7. archaic.
   the offspring or young born at a particular time or of a particular mother
8. give birth
   1. to bear (offspring)
   2. to produce, originate, or create (an idea, plan, etc)

verb

1. to bear or bring forth (a child)

birth

/ bûrth /

Noun

1. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of its mother, seen in all mammals except monotremes.

Adjective

1. Present at birth, as a defect in a bodily structure.

Other Words From

• multi·birth noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English byrthe, from Scandinavian; compare Old Swedish byrth; cognate with Old English gebyrd, Old High German giburt, Gothic gabaurths; bear ¹( def ), -th ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth¹

C12: from Old Norse byrth ; related to Gothic gabaurths , Old Swedish byrdh , Old High German berd child; see bear ¹, bairn

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. give birth to,
   1. to bear (a child).
   2. to initiate; originate:

      Her hobby gave birth to a successful business.

More idioms and phrases containing birth

see give birth to .

Example Sentences

It was initially conceived as a time of fasting and penitence, not unlike Lent, during which observant Christians prepared themselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas.

From Los Angeles Times

This potential was realised in late September with the birth of Hurricane Helene.

From BBC

While they waited for paramedics to arrive, the call handler tried to keep the couple calm and advised them on how to get through the birth.

From BBC

Stokes, in the city of his birth, surprised no one when he chose to field.

From BBC

Treating epilepsy during pregnancy is challenging, as some anti-seizure medications, primarily older drugs such as valproate, are known to cause serious birth defects and cognitive problems in children, including lower IQ and autism spectrum disorders.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• dawn
• emergence
• opening
• origin