BIRTH

birth, nativity, nascency, nascence

(noun) the event of being born; “they celebrated the birth of their first child”

birth

(noun) a baby born; an offspring; “the overall rate of incidence of Down’s syndrome is one in every 800 births”

parturition, birth, giving birth, birthing

(noun) the process of giving birth

parentage, birth

(noun) the kinship relation of an offspring to the parents

birth

(noun) the time when something begins (especially life); “they divorced after the birth of the child”; “his election signaled the birth of a new age”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

birth (countable and uncountable, plural births)

(uncountable) The process of childbearing; the beginning of life.

(countable) An instance of childbirth.

(countable) A beginning or start; a point of origin.

(uncountable) The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.

That which is born.

Misspelling of berth.

Antonyms

• (beginning of life): death

Adjective

birth (not comparable)

A familial relationship established by childbirth.

Synonyms

• biological, blood, consanguineous

Verb

birth (third-person singular simple present births, present participle birthing, simple past and past participle birthed)

(dated or regional) To bear or give birth to (a child).

(figuratively) To produce, give rise to.

Usage notes

• The term give birth (to) is much more common, especially in literal use.

Source: Wiktionary

Birth, n. Etym: [OE. burth, birth, AS. beor, gebyrd, fr. beran to bear, bring forth; akin to D. geboorate, OHG. burt, giburt, G. geburt, Icel. bur, Skr. bhrti bearing, supporting; cf. Ir. & Gael. beirthe born, brought forth. 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 that 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, n.

Definition: See Berth. [Obs.] De Foe.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition