birth

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English

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EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
    Proto-Indo-European*-tis
    Proto-Indo-European*bʰértisder.
    Proto-Germanic*burþiz
    Old Norseburðrbor.
    Middle Englishbirthe
    Englishbirth

    FromMiddle Englishbirthe(1250), from earlierburthe,burde,[1]fromOld Norseburðr,byrd[2](Old Swedishbyrth,Swedishbörd), replacingOld Englishġebyrd(rare variantbyrþ),[3]equivalent tobear+‎-th(compare alsoberth). The Old Norse is fromProto-Germanic*burdiz(compareOld Frisianberde,berd);Old Englishġebyrdis from prefixed*gaburþiz(compareDutchgeboorte,GermanGeburt), fromProto-Indo-European*bʰr̥tis(compareLatinfors(“luck”),Old Irishbrith), from*bʰer-(“to carry, bear”).More atbear.

    Noun

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    EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
    Wikipedia

    birth(countableanduncountable,pluralbirths)

    1. (uncountable)The process ofchildbearing;the beginning oflife;the emergence of a humanbabyor otherviviparousanimal offspring from the mother's body into the environment.
    2. (countable)An instance ofchildbirth.
      Intersex babies account for roughly one per cent of allbirths.
    3. (countable)A beginning or start; a point of origin.
      thebirthof an empire
    4. (uncountable)The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.
      He was of noblebirth,but fortune had not favored him.
      • 1843,William H. Prescott,History Of The Conquest Of Mexico And History Of The Conquest Of Peru‎[1],The Modern Library, page42:
        without reference tobirth,but solely for their qualifications
      • 1861,Anthony Trollope,Framley Parsonage:
        Lucy[…]had no fortune, which, though a minor evil, was an evil; and she had nobirth,in the high-life sense of the word, which was a greater evil.
    5. That which is born.
      • 1692,Ben Jonson,“Epigrams”,inThe Works of Ben Jonson‎[2],page288:
        That poets are far rarerbirthsthan kings.
      • 1761,Joseph Addison,The Works of Joseph Addison‎[3],volume 3,John Baskerville,page49:
        Others hatch their eggs and tend thebirthtill it is able to shift for itself.
    Usage notes
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    Birthandchildbirth:Childbirthconnotes the event as it occurs to the mother, whereasbirthconnotes it as it occurs to the offspring. For example, "the pain of childbirth" suggests pain the mother feels, while "the pain of birth" suggests pain the baby feels. Either term can be used from an outside perspective (Fathers are more and more frequently presentat the birth/at childbirth).

    Antonyms
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    • (antonym(s) of“beginning of life”):death
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

    Adjective

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    birth(notcomparable)

    1. Afamilialrelationship established by childbirth.
      Herbirthfather left when she was a baby; she was raised by her mother and stepfather.
    Synonyms
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    Etymology 2

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    FromMiddle Englishbirthen,birðen,from the noun (see above).

    Verb

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    birth(third-person singular simple presentbirths,present participlebirthing,simple past and past participlebirthed)

    1. (transitive)Tobearorgive birthto (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' 'boutbirthin'babies!
      • 2010,BioWare,Mass Effect 2(Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts,→OCLC,PC, scene: Normandy SR-2:
        Kelly: Is it true we have a pod containing a babykrogandown in the cargo hold?
        Shepard: Not a baby. He's a full-grown super soldier ready for combat.
        Kelly: Please be careful if you decide to... err...birthhim? His personality is completely unknown.
      • 2023March 5, Jonathan Bouquet, “May I have a word about… being stuck in a permacrisis”, inThe Observer‎[4],→ISSN:
        She cites some recent examples from the papers: “Ibirthedtwo babies in rapid succession”; Beyoncé “birthedher twins”; while somewhere else in the same paper a woman proudly proclaimed: “Ibirtheda calf!”. She ends: “My objection to the American usage is that it seems to stress rather crudely the muscular process of bringing forth a baby, whereas the graceful British English term ‘to give birth to’ is much more dignified!”
    2. (transitive,figuratively)Toproduce,give riseto.
      • 2006,R. Bruce Hull,Infinite Nature‎[5],University of Chicago Press,→ISBN,page156:
        Biological evolution created a human mind that enabled cultural evolution, which now outpaces and outclasses the force thatbirthedit.
    Usage notes
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    Derived terms
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    Terms derived from the noun, adjective, or verbbirth
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    Translations
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    Etymology 3

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    Seeberth.

    Noun

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    birth(pluralbirths)

    1. Obsoletespelling ofberth.

    References

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    1. ^Robert K. Barnhart, ed.,Chambers Dictionary of Etymology(1988; reprint, Edinburgh: Chambers, 2008), 95.
    2. ^Richard Cleasby and Gudbrand Vigfusson's1874Icelandic-English dictionary.
    3. ^Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller's1898Anglo-Saxon dictionary.

    Albanian

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    Etymology 1

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    Frombirë(“hole”).

    Noun

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    birthm(pluralbirthe,definitebirthi,definite pluralbirthat)

    1. pimple,blemish
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    Etymology 2

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    Diminutive-thlengthening ofbir(“son”).

    Noun

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    birthm(pluralbirthe,definitebirthi,definite pluralbirthat)

    1. son,little boy
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