childbirth
Meanings
noun
- The fact or action of giving birth to a child, as the culmination of pregnancy; the process by which it happens.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Middle English childbyrth [and other forms], perhaps a partial calque of Old Norse barnburðr (“childbearing, childbirth”, literally “bairn birth”); equivalent to child + birth. Compare Swedish barnsbörd (“childbirth”), Icelandic barnsburður (“childbirth”).
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Related words
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