birth
pronunciation
How to pronounce birth in British English:
UK [bɜːθ]
How to pronounce birth in American English:
US [bɜːrθ]
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- Noun:
- the time when something begins (especially life)
- the event of being born
- the process of giving birth
- the kinship relation of an offspring to the parents
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- Verb:
- give birth (to a newborn)
Word Origin
- birth
- birth: [12] Old English had a word gebyrd ‘birth’ which survived until the end of the 13th century as birde, but it was quite distinct from (though related to) modern English birth, which was borrowed from Old Norse byrth. This came from the same Germanic stem (*ber-, *bur-) as produced bear, bairn, and indeed Old English gebyrd. The suffix -th denotes a process, or the result of a process: hence birth is ‘(the result of) the process of bearing a child’. Along with bath and death it is one of the most ancient words formed with -th.=> bairn, bear, berth
- birth (n.)
- early 13c., from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse *byrðr (replacing cognate Old English gebyrd "birth, descent, race; offspring; nature; fate"), from Proto-Germanic *gaburthis (cognates: Old Frisian berd, Old Saxon giburd, Dutch geboorte, Old High German giburt, German geburt, Gothic gabaurþs), from PIE *bhrto past participle of root *bher- (1) "to carry; to bear children" (cognates: Sanskrit bhrtih "a bringing, maintenance," Latin fors, genitive fortis "chance;" see bear (v.)). Suffix -th is for "process" (as in bath, death). Meaning "parentage, lineage, extraction" (revived from Old English) is from mid-13c. Birth control is from 1914; birth rate from 1859. Birth certificate is from 1842.
- birth (v.)
- mid-13c., from birth (n.). Related: Birthed; birthing.
Antonym
Example
- 1. Is it like being the father at a birth ?
- 2. These circuits likely continue to develop after birth .
- 3. Birth and death are the two noblest expressions of bravery .
- 4. Low birth rates are endemic across the region .
- 5. Birth order also may be important .