English Explanatory Dictionary

birth

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The process of childbearing; the beginning of life; the emergence of a human baby or other viviparous animal offspring from the mother's body into the environment.
  2. An instance of childbirth.
  3. A beginning or start; a point of origin.
  4. The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.
  5. That which is born.
adj
  1. A familial relationship established by childbirth.
verb
  1. To bear or give birth to (a child).
  2. To produce, give rise to.
noun
  1. Obsolete spelling of berth.

Pronunciation

/bɜːθ/ /bɜːð/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-berth.wav bûrth /bɜɹθ/ /bɝð/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-birth.wav en-us-birth.ogg /bɪɹθ/ /bɪɹð/ /bøːθ/ /bøːð/ /beːθ/ /beːð/ /bɛːθ/ /bɛːð/

Word forms

birth births birthing birthed

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *bʰértisder. Proto-Germanic *burþiz Old Norse burðrbor. Middle English birthe English birth From Middle English birthe (1250), from earlier burthe, burde, from Old Norse burðr, byrd (Old Swedish byrth, Swedish börd), replacing Old English ġebyrd (rare variant byrþ), equivalent to bear + -th (thus a piecewise doublet of berth). The Old Norse is from Proto-Germanic *burdiz (compare Old Frisian berde, berd); Old English ġebyrd is from prefixed *gaburþiz (compare Dutch geboorte, German Geburt), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰŕ̥tis (compare Latin fors (“luck”), Old Irish brith), from *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”). More at bear.

Synonyms

biological blood consanguineous

Antonyms

death

Related words

bear born

Derived words

AFAB AMAB antibirth birf birth-assigned birth canal birth cert birth-certificate birth certificate birth chair birth chart birthchild birth control birth control glasses birth date birth defect birthdom birther birthfamily birthfather birth father birthfeast birthgasm birthgiver birthhome birthhood birth hour birthhouse birthland birthless birthline birthmark birthmate birth month birthmother birth name birthnight birth pang birthparent birth plan birthquake birthroot birth sex birth sin birthsite birthstead birthstool birth stool birthtide birth time birthtime birth tongue birth-tongue birthtongue birth-to-potty birth-to-potty diaper birth-to-potty nappy birth tourist birth tray birth weight
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