birth

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable) 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. (countable) An instance of childbirth.
3. (countable) A beginning or start; a point of origin.
4. (uncountable) The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.
5. (countable, uncountable) That which is born.

Adj

A familial relationship established by childbirth.

Verb

1. (transitive) To bear or give birth to (a child).
2. (figuratively, transitive) To produce, give rise to.

Synonyms

origin

production

nativity

delivery

parturition

childbirth

parentage

give birth

appearance

creation

beginning

nascence

nascency

emergence

bear

🐻

generation

deliver

start

giving birth

lineage

confinement

procreation

extraction

descent

have

genesis

origination

source

birthing

outset

birthday

🎂

conception

history

background

birthplace

child-bearing

commencement

come from

pedigree

nationality

ancestry

occurrence

labor

inception

identity

manifestation

bring forth

growth

derivation

happening

Translations

naissance

Geburt

nascita

nacimiento

nascimento

geboorte

γέννηση

parto

accouchement

γέννα

Herkunft

naixença

naixement

τοκετός

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bɜːθ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: birthe

Cognate with Swedish: börd

Cognate with Old English: ġebyrd

Cognate with Old Frisian: berde

Cognate with Dutch: geboorte

Cognate with German: Geburt

Cognate with Latin: fors

Cognate with Old Irish: brith

Inherited from Middle English: birthen

In summary

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.

Sentences

Jim Broadbent had a twin sister who died at birth .