Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
birth - 12 dictionary results
Teen Pregnancy
 What is the responsible way to prepare and educate our youth?
 www.ResponsibilityProject.com
pregnancy
 Learn how an anesthesiologist can help you. Visit the Lifeline site.
 www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com
Pregnant? No Insurance?
 Plans Available Here. Doctors, Labs & Hospitals
 MaternityCard.com

birth

  [burth]
Use birth in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act or instance of being born: the day of his birth.
2. the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring; childbirth; parturition: a difficult birth.
3. lineage; extraction; descent: of Grecian birth.
4. high or noble lineage: to be foolishly vain about one's birth.
5. natural heritage: a musician by birth.
6. any coming into existence; origin; beginning: the birth of Protestantism; the birth of an idea.
7. Archaic. something that is born.
–verb (used with object) Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.
8. to give birth to.
9. to assist in giving birth; act as midwife for.
—Idiom
10. give birth to,
a. to bear (a child).
b. to initiate; originate: Her hobby gave birth to a successful business.
Origin:
1150–1200; ME byrthe < Scand; cf. OSw byrth; c. OE gebyrd, OHG giburt, Goth gabaurths

Synonyms:
3. parentage, ancestry, line, blood, family, race. 6. start, commencement, inception, genesis; launching, inauguration.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To birth
Teen Pregnancy
 What is the responsible way to prepare and educate our youth?
 www.ResponsibilityProject.com
pregnancy
 Learn how an anesthesiologist can help you. Visit the Lifeline site.
 www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com
birth   (bûrth)   
n.  
    1. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of the mother.
    2. The act or process of bearing young; parturition: the mare's second birth.
    3. 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.
    4. The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance: strong-willed by birth; acquired their wealth through birth.
    5. Origin; extraction: of Swedish birth; of humble birth.
    6. Noble or high status: persons of birth.
    1. The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance: strong-willed by birth; acquired their wealth through birth.
    2. Origin; extraction: of Swedish birth; of humble birth.
    3. Noble or high status: persons of birth.
  3. A beginning or commencement. See Synonyms at beginning.
tr.v.   birthed, birth·ing, births Chiefly Southern U.S.
  1. To deliver (a baby).
  2. To bear (a child).

[Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Until recently the use of birth as a verb meaning "to bear (a child)" has been confined to Southern speech: "Heap o' good it do a woman to birth a mess o' young uns and raise 'em and then have 'em all go off to oncet" (Marjorie K. Rawlings). Recently, however, the nonstandard Southern usage has coincided with widespread usage of verbs derived from nouns, such as parent, network, and microwave. Birth in this new usage is most commonly found in its present participial form and is used as an adjective in compounds such as birthing center.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Birth

Birth\ (b[~e]rth), n. [OE. burth, birth, AS. beor[edt], gebyrd, fr. beran to bear, bring forth; akin to D. geboorte, OHG. burt, giburt, G. geburt, Icel. bur[eth]r, Skr. bhrti bearing, supporting; cf. Ir. & Gael. beirthe born, brought forth. [root]92. See 1st Bear, and cf. Berth.]

1. The act or fact of coming into life, or of being born; -- generally applied to human beings; as, the birth of a son.

2. Lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble extraction.

Elected without reference to birth, but solely for qualifications. --Prescott.

3. The condition to which a person is born; natural state or position; inherited disposition or tendency.

A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name. --Dryden.

4. The act of bringing forth; as, she had two children at a birth. "At her next birth." --Milton.

5. That which is born; that which is produced, whether animal or vegetable.

Poets are far rarer births than kings. --B. Jonson.

Others hatch their eggs and tend the birth till it is able to shift for itself. --Addison.

6. Origin; beginning; as, the birth of an empire.

New birth (Theol.), regeneration, or the commencement of a religious life.

Syn: Parentage; extraction; lineage; race; family.

Birth

Birth\, n. See Berth. [Obs.] --De Foe.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : birth
Spanish: nacimiento,
German: die Geburt,
Japanese: 誕生
More Translations »

birth 
c.1230, from O.N. *byrðr, which replaced O.E. gebyrd "birth," from P.Gmc. *gaburthis (cf. Ger. geburt, Goth. gabaurþs), from PIE *bhrto pp. of base *bher- "to bear" (cf. Skt. bhrtih "a bringing, maintenance," L. fors, gen. fortis "chance;" see bear (v.)). Suffix -th is for "process" (as in bath, death). Meaning "parentage, lineage, extraction" is from c.1240. Birthday is c.1000; birthnight is 1628; birthplace is from 1607; birthright is 1535. Birth control first attested 1914. Birthday suit first attested 1730s, but probably much older.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: 1birth
Pronunciation: 'b&rth
Function: noun
often attributive 1 : the emergence of a new individual from the bodyof its parent
2 : the act or process of bringing forth young from the womb

Main Entry: 2birth
Function: transitive verb
: to give birth to birth the remaining pups successfully —S. H. Gruber> birth her child in her own way —Nancy Robinson> birth intransitive senses
: to bring forth or be brought forth as a child or young birthing is a natural process, rather than a medical procedure —Kit Miniclier> birthed breech —Jayne Anne Phillips>

Main Entry: 3birth
Function: adjective
: BIOLOGICAL 3 birth parents>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

birth (bûrth)
n.

  1. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of the mother.
  2. The act or process of bearing young; parturition.
  3. The circumstances or conditions relating to this event, as its time or location.
  4. The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance.
  5. Origin; extraction.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
birth   (bûrth)  Pronunciation Key 
Noun   The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of its mother, seen in all mammals except monotremes.

Adjective   Present at birth, as a defect in a bodily structure.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Birth

As soon as a child was born it was washed, and rubbed with salt (Ezek. 16:4), and then swathed with bandages (Job 38:9; Luke 2:7, 12). A Hebrew mother remained forty days in seclusion after the birth of a son, and after the birth of a daughter double that number of days. At the close of that period she entered into the tabernacle or temple and offered up a sacrifice of purification (Lev. 12:1-8; Luke 2:22). A son was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, being thereby consecrated to God (Gen. 17:10-12; comp. Rom. 4:11). Seasons of misfortune are likened to the pains of a woman in travail, and seasons of prosperity to the joy that succeeds child-birth (Isa. 13:8; Jer. 4:31; John 16:21, 22). The natural birth is referred to as the emblem of the new birth (John 3:3-8; Gal. 6:15; Titus 3:5, etc.).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source

birth

see give birth to.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see birth on Thesaurus | Reference
Pregnant? No Insurance?
 Plans Available Here. Doctors, Labs & Hospitals
 MaternityCard.com
Free Pregnancy Test?
 Free medical consult and ultrasound 877-296-7086
 www.BirthChoiceClinic.org
Birth Records
 Find Birth Records Online Today. Start Free Trial Now. Official Site
 www.Ancestry.com