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birthing

 - 9 dictionary results

birth⋅ing

[bur-thing]
–noun
an act or instance of giving birth, esp. by natural childbirth.

Origin:
1925–30; birth + -ing 1

birth

[burth]
–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.
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


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.
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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.

  1. 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.
birth·ing   (bûr'thĭng)   
adj.  Having to do with or used during birth: a birthing counselor.
n.  The act of giving birth.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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
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Medical Dictionary

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

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.

birthing birth·ing (bûr'thĭng)
adj.
Having to do with or used during birth. n.
The act of giving birth.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
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.
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