birth


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

birth

beginning of existence; origin: the birth of the blues
Not to be confused with:
berth – a built-in bed or bunk: Joey wants to sleep on the top berth.; a docking space
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

birth

 (bûrth)
n.
1.
a. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of the mother.
b. The act or process of bearing young; parturition: the mare's second birth.
c. The circumstances or conditions relating to this event, as its time or location: an incident that took place before my birth; a Bostonian by birth.
2.
a. The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance: strong-willed by birth; acquired their wealth through birth.
b. Origin; extraction: of Swedish birth; of humble birth.
c. Noble or high status: persons of birth.
3. A beginning or commencement. See Synonyms at beginning.
tr.v. birthed, birth·ing, births
1. To deliver (a baby).
2. Chiefly Southern US To bear (a child).

[Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

birth

(bɜːθ)
n
1. the process of bearing young; parturition; childbirth.
2. the act or fact of being born; nativity
3. the coming into existence of something; origin
4. ancestry; lineage: of high birth.
5. noble ancestry: a man of birth.
6. natural or inherited talent: an artist by birth.
7. archaic the offspring or young born at a particular time or of a particular mother
8. give birth
a. to bear (offspring)
b. to produce, originate, or create (an idea, plan, etc)
vb (tr)
to bear or bring forth (a child)
[C12: from Old Norse byrth; related to Gothic gabaurths, Old Swedish byrdh, Old High German berd child; see bear1, bairn]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

birth

(bɜrθ)
n.
1. an act or instance of being born: day of birth.
2. the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring; childbirth; parturition.
3. lineage; extraction; descent: of Grecian birth.
4. high or noble lineage.
5. heritage: a musician by birth.
6. any coming into existence: the birth of an idea.
7. Archaic. something that is born.
v.t.
8. to give birth to.
Idioms:
give birth to,
a. to bear (a child).
b. to initiate; originate.
Chiefly Dial.
[1150–1200; Middle English byrthe < Scandinavian]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Birth

See also mother; pregnancy

a form of divination by examining the embryonic sac or amniotic fluid.
the spontaneous generation of an organism in an inorganic fluid medium. — autogenous, autogenic, autogonic, autogonous, adj.autogenously, autogonously, adv.
the ability to produce two broods in a year. — digoneutic, adj.
the theory that embryonic development is totally controlled by the cell’s environment. Cf. syngenesis.epigenesist, n. — epigenetic, adj.
development of an organism or form of animal life in which body segmentation is complete before hatching. — epimorphic, adj.
the development of a fetus; gestation.
Obsolete, birth; the process of generation.
1. the process of carrying in the womb.
2. fetation; the process of development of the fetus in the womb.
pregnancy. — gravid, adj.
scientific study of the uterus.
psychoprophylaxis.
tocophobia.
the prineiples and practice of a midwife. Cf. tocology.
the condition or process of producing more than one offspring at one birth. — multiparous, adj.
1. the time, place, and circumstances of a person’s birth.
2. the configuration of the planets at the time of a person’s birth and a representation, as a chart, of that configuration.
the condition in a woman of never having given birth. — nullipara, n. — nulliparous, adj.
the branch of medicine that deals with prenatal and postnatal care and with the delivery of a child. — obstetrician, n. — obstetric, obstetrical, adj.
a form of divination in which the number of knots in a newborn’s umbilical cord are counted to foretell the number of children the mother will have later.
the surgical process of dividing the umbilical cord.
the bearing of offspring by laying eggs that mature outside of the body. — oviparity, n.oviparous, adj.
the bearing of offspring by producing eggs that mature within the body, with the young born alive. — ovoviviparity, n.ovoviviparous, adj.
a substance or drug that induces or stimulates childbirth. — oxytocic, adj.
1. partial or complete regeneration.
2. the doctrine that a soul passes through several bodies in a series of rebirths. Also palingenesia, palingenesy.palingenetic, adj.
the state, quality, or fact of having given birth to or having borne offspring.
the state or condition of bringing forth young or being about to begin parturition. — parturient, adj.
childbirth; the act or process of giving birth. — parturient, adj.
a woman who is pregnant for the first time.
a woman who has given birth to one child or who is giving birth for the first time. — primiparity, n.primiparous, adj.
a method of preparing women for childbirth without anesthetic, by means of education, psychological and physical conditioning, and breathing exercises. Also called Lamaze technique.psychoprophylactic, adj.
the state or condition of a woman during and immediately following childbirth. — puerperal, adj.
the process of renewal or rebirth. — recrudescent, adj.
the act or quality of being renewed, reformed, or reborn, especially in a spiritual rebirth. — regenerate, adj.
the act or process of renewal or rebirth.
a woman who is pregnant for the second time.
a substance or preparation used for killing sperm, used in contraception. — spermicidal, adj.
a conception occurring after the onset of a pregnancy from an earlier conception.
the theory that the form and development of the embryo are the result of the combined influence of sperm and egg. Cf. epigenesis.syngenetic, adj.
a fetal abnormality, consisting of twins joined at the thorax.
the science of obstetrics or midwifery. — tocologist, tokologist, n.tocological, tokological, adj.
an abnormal fear of childbirth. Also called maieusiophobia.
primigravida.
the process of gestation taking place in the womb from conception to birth.
surgical excision of part of the vas deferens, the duet which carries sperm from the testes, performed as a form of male contraception.
the bearing of living offspring, characteristic of almost all mammals, many reptiles, and some fishes. — viviparity, n. — viviparous, adj.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Birth

 

See Also: BEGINNINGS/ENDINGS, DEATH, ENTRANCES/EXITS, LIFE

  1. Birth and death are like two ships in a harbor. There is no reason to rejoice at the ship setting out on a journey [birth] not knowing what she may encounter on the high seas, but we should rejoice at the ship returning to port [death] safely —Amora Levi
  2. Into the world we come like ships launch’d from the docks, and stocks, and slips, for fortune fair or fatal! —Edward Fitzgerald
  3. Once upon a time we were all born, popped out like jelly rolls —Anne Sexton
  4. Passed like an envelope through a letter box [about an easy birth] —Anaĩs Nin
  5. The solemnity of birth, like that of death, is lost in repulsive or merely commonplace details for those who are in attendance —Marguerite Yourcenar
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

birth


Past participle: birthed
Gerund: birthing

Imperative
birth
birth
Present
I birth
you birth
he/she/it births
we birth
you birth
they birth
Preterite
I birthed
you birthed
he/she/it birthed
we birthed
you birthed
they birthed
Present Continuous
I am birthing
you are birthing
he/she/it is birthing
we are birthing
you are birthing
they are birthing
Present Perfect
I have birthed
you have birthed
he/she/it has birthed
we have birthed
you have birthed
they have birthed
Past Continuous
I was birthing
you were birthing
he/she/it was birthing
we were birthing
you were birthing
they were birthing
Past Perfect
I had birthed
you had birthed
he/she/it had birthed
we had birthed
you had birthed
they had birthed
Future
I will birth
you will birth
he/she/it will birth
we will birth
you will birth
they will birth
Future Perfect
I will have birthed
you will have birthed
he/she/it will have birthed
we will have birthed
you will have birthed
they will have birthed
Future Continuous
I will be birthing
you will be birthing
he/she/it will be birthing
we will be birthing
you will be birthing
they will be birthing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been birthing
you have been birthing
he/she/it has been birthing
we have been birthing
you have been birthing
they have been birthing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been birthing
you will have been birthing
he/she/it will have been birthing
we will have been birthing
you will have been birthing
they will have been birthing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been birthing
you had been birthing
he/she/it had been birthing
we had been birthing
you had been birthing
they had been birthing
Conditional
I would birth
you would birth
he/she/it would birth
we would birth
you would birth
they would birth
Past Conditional
I would have birthed
you would have birthed
he/she/it would have birthed
we would have birthed
you would have birthed
they would have birthed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

birth

The initial moment of independent, conscious life.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.birth - the time when something begins (especially life)birth - the time when something begins (especially life); "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age"
lifespan, lifetime, life-time, life - the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death); "the battery had a short life"; "he lived a long and happy life"
cradle - birth of a person; "he was taught from the cradle never to cry"
commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her"
demise, dying, death - the time when something ends; "it was the death of all his plans"; "a dying of old hopes"
2.birth - the event of being bornbirth - the event of being born; "they celebrated the birth of their first child"
alteration, change, modification - an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another; "the change was intended to increase sales"; "this storm is certainly a change for the worse"; "the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"
delivery - the event of giving birth; "she had a difficult delivery"
live birth - the birth of a living fetus (regardless of the length of gestation)
posthumous birth - birth of a child by Caesarean section after the death of the mother
posthumous birth - birth of a child after the father has died
rebirth, reincarnation, renascence - a second or new birth
death, decease, expiry - the event of dying or departure from life; "her death came as a terrible shock"; "upon your decease the capital will pass to your grandchildren"
3.birth - the process of giving birthbirth - the process of giving birth    
brooding, incubation - sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
calving - giving birth to a calf
accouchement, childbearing, childbirth - the parturition process in human beings; having a baby; the process of giving birth to a child
farrow, farrowing - the production of a litter of pigs
hatch, hatching - the production of young from an egg
egg laying, laying - the production of eggs (especially in birds)
biological process, organic process - a process occurring in living organisms
reproduction - the process of generating offspring
childbed, confinement, lying-in, parturiency, travail, labour, labor - concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child; "she was in labor for six hours"
4.birth - the kinship relation of an offspring to the parentsbirth - the kinship relation of an offspring to the parents
family relationship, kinship, relationship - (anthropology) relatedness or connection by blood or marriage or adoption
5.birth - a baby bornbirth - a baby born; an offspring; "the overall rate of incidence of Down's syndrome is one in every 800 births"
individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do"
Verb1.birth - cause to be bornbirth - cause to be born; "My wife had twins yesterday!"
twin - give birth to twins
drop - give birth; used for animals; "The cow dropped her calf this morning"
foal - give birth to a foal; "the mare foaled"
cub - give birth to cubs; "bears cub every year"
kitten - have kittens; "our cat kittened again this year"
lamb - give birth to a lamb; "the ewe lambed"
litter - give birth to a litter of animals
pup, whelp - birth; "the dog whelped"
farrow, pig - give birth; "sows farrow"
fawn - have fawns; "deer fawn"
have young, calve - birth; "the whales calve at this time of year"
have a bun in the oven, gestate, expect, bear, carry - be pregnant with; "She is bearing his child"; "The are expecting another child in January"; "I am carrying his child"
produce, bring forth - bring forth or yield; "The tree would not produce fruit"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

birth

noun
1. childbirth, birthing, delivery, confinement, nativity, parturition, accouchement She weighed 5lb 7oz at birth.
childbirth end, death, passing, demise, extinction, passing away or on
3. ancestry, line, race, stock, blood, background, breeding, strain, descent, pedigree, extraction, lineage, forebears, parentage, genealogy, derivation men of low birth
give birth deliver, have, mother, produce, bear, bring into the world, be delivered of She's just given birth to a baby girl.
Related words
adjective natal
Quotations
"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:"
"The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,"
"Hath had elsewhere its setting,"
"And cometh from afar:" [William Wordsworth Ode: Intimations of Immortality]
"Birth, and copulation, and death."
"That's all the facts when you come to brass tacks:"
"Birth, and copulation and death."
"I've been born, and once is enough." [T.S. Eliot Sweeney Agonistes]
"It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other" [Francis Bacon On Death]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

birth

noun
1. The act or process of bringing forth young:
2. One's ancestors or their character or one's ancestral derivation:
3. Noble rank or status by birth:
4. The initial stage of a developmental process:
verb
Chiefly Regional. To give birth to:
Idiom: be brought abed of.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بدايةمِيلادولادةوِلادَه، بِدايَهوِلادَه، مَوْلِد
началопотеклопроизходраждам
narozeníporodpůvodvznikzrod
fødsel
syntymäalkulisääntyminensynnyttääsynnyttäminen
הוליד
जन्म
rođenje
születés
fæîingupphaf
誕生
출생
gimdymų reguliavimasgimimasgimimo vietagimimų vidurkisgimtadienis
dzemdībasdzimšanaizcelšanāsrašanās
naştere
narodeniezrod
roditirojstvoporod
födelsebörjan
การเกิด
sự sinh đẻ

birth

[bɜːθ]
A. N (gen) → nacimiento m (Med) → parto m (fig) → nacimiento m, surgimiento m
at birthal nacer
French by birthfrancés de nacimiento
of humble birthde origen humilde
place of birthlugar m de nacimiento
to give birth to (lit) → dar a luz a (fig) → dar origen a
to be in at the birth of (fig) → asistir al nacimiento de
the birth of an ideael origen de una idea
B. CPD birth certificate Npartida f de nacimiento
birth control Ncontrol m de la natalidad
method of birth controlmétodo m anticonceptivo
birth control pill Npíldora f anticonceptiva
birth mother Nmadre f biológica
birth pill N = birth control pill birth rate Ntasa f or índice m de natalidad
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

birth

[ˈbɜːrθ] n
[person, animal] → naissance f
to give birth → accoucher
to give birth to [+ baby] → donner naissance à, mettre au monde; [+ animal] → mettre bas
by birth → de naissance
of one's birth [country, city] → natal(e)
[organization, phenomenon] → naissance f
to give birth to [+ institution, idea] → donner naissance àbirth canal ncanal m utérinbirth certificate nacte m de naissancebirth control ncontrôle m des naissances
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

birth

n
Geburt f; the town/country of his birthseine Geburtsstadt/sein Geburtsland nt; blind/deaf from or since birthvon Geburt an blind/taub; within a few minutes of birtheinige Minuten nach der Geburt; the rights which are ours by birthunsere angeborenen Rechte; to give birth togebären; (woman also)entbunden werden von; to give birthentbinden; (animal)jungen; she’s going to give birth!sie bekommt ihr Kind!
(= parentage)Abstammung f, → Herkunft f; Scottish by birthSchotte von Geburt, gebürtiger Schotte; of good birthaus gutem Hause or guter Familie; of low or humble birthvon niedriger Geburt
(fig)Geburt f; (of movement, fashion etc)Aufkommen nt; (of nation, party, company also)Gründung f, → Entstehen nt; (of new era)Anbruch m, → Geburt f (geh); (of star)Entstehung f; to give birth to somethingetw schaffen/aufkommen lassen/gründen/anbrechen lassen

birth

:
birth canal
n (Med) → Geburtskanal m
birth certificate
birth control
nGeburtenkontrolle or -regelung f
birth-control clinic
nFamilienberatungsstelle f
birthdate
nGeburtsdatum nt

birth

:
birthmark
nMuttermal nt
birth mother
n (= biological mother)biologische Mutter; (= surrogate mother)Leihmutter f
birth name
nGeburtsname m
birthplace
nGeburtsort m
birth plan
nGeburtsplan m
birthrate
nGeburtenrate or -ziffer f
birthright
n
(= right of firstborn)Erstgeburtsrecht nt
birthstone
nMonatsstein m
birth trauma
nGeburtstrauma nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

birth

[bɜːθ] n (also) (fig) → nascita; (childbirth) → parto
it was a difficult birth → è stato un parto difficile
at birth → alla nascita
Italian by birth → italiano di nascita
place of birth → luogo di nascita
to give birth to → dare alla luce (fig) → dare inizio a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

birth

(bəːθ) noun
1. (an) act of coming into the world, being born. the birth of her son; deaf since birth.
2. the beginning. the birth of civilization.
birth control
prevention of the conception of children.
ˈbirthday noun
the anniversary of the day on which a person was born. Today is his birthday; (also adjective) a birthday party.
ˈbirthmark noun
a permanent mark on the skin at or from birth. She has a red birthmark on her face.
ˈbirthplace noun
the place where a person etc was born. Shakespeare's birthplace.
ˈbirthrate noun
the number of births per head of population over a given period.
give birth (to)
(of a mother) to produce (a baby) from the womb. She has given birth to two sets of twins.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

birth

مِيلاد narození fødsel Geburt γέννηση nacimiento syntymä naissance rođenje nascita 誕生 출생 geboorte fødsel narodziny nascimento рождение födelse การเกิด doğum sự sinh đẻ 出生
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

birth

n. nacimiento, parto, alumbramiento;
___ canalcanal del parto;
___ certificatecertificado de ___;
___ controlcontrol de la natalidad, planeamiento familiar;
___ datefecha de nacimiento;
___ -death ratioíndice de mortalidad;
___ ratenatalidad;
___ rightderechos naturales;
___ weightpeso al nacer;
post-term ______ tardío;
premature ______ prematuro;
v.
to give ___dar a luz, estar de parto.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

birth

n nacimiento; (childbirth) parto; — control anticoncepción f, control m de la natalidad, método anticonceptivo; Do you use birth control?..¿Usa algún método anticonceptivo?; — weight peso al nacer; breech — parto de nalgas; (blind, deaf, etc.) from — (ciego, sordo, etc.) de nacimiento; natural — parto natural; to give — dar a luz, aliviarse (Mex, fam), parir (esp. Carib, fam); She gave birth to a baby girl..Dio a luz a una niña.
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Then a tiny icicle detached itself from the roof, and dropped into the woman's mouth, who swallowed it with a smile, and said, 'Perhaps I shall give birth to a snow child now!' Her husband laughed at his wife's strange idea, and they went back into the house.
A CONTROVERSY prevailed among the beasts of the field as to which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest number of whelps at a birth. They rushed clamorously into the presence of the Lioness and demanded of her the settlement of the dispute.
The birth of a True Equilateral Triangle from Isosceles parents is the subject of rejoicing in our country for many furlongs around.
Another species is distinguished by the mode of electing their magistrates, in which every one is eligible, to whose birth there are no objections, provided he is supposed to have leisure to attend: for which reason in such a democracy the supreme power will be vested in the laws, as there will be nothing paid to those who go to the public assemblies.
"Giving birth is troublesome,"--say others--"why still give birth?
Before the day of the Church's supremacy in the world, men were men, and held their heads up, and had a man's pride and spirit and independence; and what of greatness and position a person got, he got mainly by achievement, not by birth. But then the Church came to the front, with an axe to grind; and she was wise, subtle, and knew more than one way to skin a cat -- or a nation; she invented "divine right of kings," and propped it all around, brick by brick, with the Beatitudes -- wrenching them from their good purpose to make them fortify an evil one; she preached (to the commoner) humility, obedience to superiors, the beauty of self-sacrifice; she preached
Now that which is of divine birth has a period which is contained in a perfect number, but the period of human birth is comprehended in a number in which first increments by involution and evolution (or squared and cubed) obtaining three intervals and four terms of like and unlike, waxing and waning numbers, make all the terms commensurable and agreeable to one another.
CONTAINING AS MUCH OF THE BIRTH OF THE FOUNDLING AS IS NECESSARY OR PROPER TO ACQUAINT THE READER WITH IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS HISTORY.
Malicorne, whom you see here," said De Guiche to De Wardes, "is a very excellent fellow, whose only misfortune is that of not being of gentle birth. As far as I am concerned, you know, I attach little value to those who have but gentle birth to boast of."
I, too, have been foully calumniated by our ancient enemy, the Infamous Falsehood, and I wish to point out that I am made of the fur of the MUSTELA MACULATA, which is dirty from birth."
Here her mother had dreamed the exquisite, happy dreams of anticipated motherhood; here that red sunrise light had fallen over them both in the sacred hour of birth; here her mother had died.
Now it chanced that shortly after Chaka had spoken thus, my sister Baleka, the king's wife, fell in labour; and on that same day my wife Macropha was brought to bed of twins, and this but eight days after my second wife, Anadi, had given birth to a son.