birthn.¹

Brit.

/bəːθ/, U.S.

/bərθ/

Forms: early Middle English birðe, early Middle English birðhe, early Middle English burð- (in compounds), early Middle English burðe, Middle English berthe, Middle English berþe, Middle English birþ, Middle English birþe, Middle English borþ (north-west midlands), Middle English breth, Middle English briþ (northern), Middle English bryth, Middle English bryþe, Middle English burth, Middle English burthe, Middle English burþ, Middle English burþe, Middle English byrþ, Middle English byrþe, Middle English–1500s byrth, Middle English–1500s byrthe, Middle English–1600s berth, Middle English–1600s birthe, Middle English (northern) 1600s brith, Middle English– birth, late Middle English bythe (transmission error), 1500s bearth, 1600s buirth, 1700s beth (U.S. regional); Scottish pre-1700 bergh, pre-1700 birgh, pre-1700 birthe, pre-1700 birtht, pre-1700 byrth, pre-1700 byrthe, pre-1700 byrtht, pre-1700 byrtth, pre-1700 1700s– birth.

Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps (i) a variant or alteration of another lexical item; modelled on an early Scandinavian lexical item. Or perhaps (ii) a borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymon: birde n.

Etymology: Origin uncertain; ultimately < the same Germanic base as birde n. (compare the Germanic forms cited at that entry). Either (i) an alteration of birde n. (compare β. forms at that entry) after early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic burðr (also byrð ) and other Scandinavian forms cited at birde n.), perhaps further influenced by semantically related English forms with a fricative (compare α. forms at burden n. and Old English beorþor (see below)), or (ii) directly < early Scandinavian (see below).Alternative derivations. Alternative (and less likely) suggestions include derivation as an alteration of birde n. after -th suffix¹ (unlikely in the absence of an accompanying alteration of the root vowel after that of bear v.¹), or as the reflex of an unattested Old English cognate of Old Frisian berthe , apparently < a variant (without the operation of Verner's Law) of the Germanic base of birde n. (perhaps also reflected in Gothic gabaurþs ). Borrowing from early Scandinavian. Old Icelandic burðr (compare also Faroese burður , Norwegian (Nynorsk) burd ) probably shows a levelling of the unmutated vowel of the genitive singular and nominative plural to the nominative singular (with a concomitant change from the feminine to the masculine gender); the Middle English word may thus represent a direct borrowing of the original mutated early Scandinavian form *byrðr . (The rare Old Icelandic by-form byrð is probably due to the later influence of Danish or perhaps English.) Old English forms with a fricative. An isolated prefixed form with final fricative is attested as first element of a compound in late Old English gebyrðtide (accusative singular: see quot. lOE for birth-tide n. at Compounds 4). It could, if not simply a scribal error, reflect alteration of earlier Old English gebyrdtīd due to Scandinavian influence, as the source shows evidence of Scandinavian influence on its vocabulary elsewhere. Compare also ultimately related and semantically similar Old English beorþor (also in late West Saxon as byrþor ; early Middle English beorðor ) pregnancy, childbirth, fetus, offspring, which shows a suffixed derivative of bear v.¹ with medial fricative, and also Old English (late West Saxon) byrþere childbearing woman, mother, and -byrðling newborn child, infant (in hysebyrðling male infant), which both probably show derivatives of the same base as beorþor with i-mutation. None of the words of this group survive into Middle English. Earlier compound formations. Some compounds of birth n.¹ are paralleled by formations in birde n. that are attested earlier: with birth-tide n. at Compounds 4 compare Old English gebyrdtīd , byrdtīd , early Middle English ibyrdtīde , burdtīde . Compare also the forms cited at birthday n., birth time n. Specific senses. In sense 7 after post-classical Latin natio in senses ‘birth’, ‘a people united by common language and culture’ (see nation n.¹). In sense 8 after Middle French nativite or post-classical Latin nativitas in this sense (see nativity n.).

a. The fact of being born; the emergence of offspring from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being. Also: an instance of a baby's being born.In quot. 1997: (in plural) births announced in a newspaper column.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > [noun]

birdeOE

birtha1200

i-borenessc1225

bearingc1275

nativityc1375

progressionc1385

gettingc1480

natality1483

naissance1490

falling1533–4

nascence1570

natitial1612

progermination1648

happy event1737

engendure1821

arrival1830

birthhood1867

interesting event1899

a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 47 On þe ehteðe dai efter his burþe.

?a1430 T. Hoccleve Mother of God l. 74 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 54 The birthe of Cryst our thraldom putte vs fro.

a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. ii. 51 At thy birth (deere boy) Nature and Fortune ioyn'd to make thee great.

1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Burials, in computations of mortality, denote deaths, and stand opposed to births.

1856 Ld. Tennyson Maud (rev. ed.) xix. iv, in Maud & Other Poems (new ed.) 66 Mine by a right, from birth till death.

1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 243 No animal at birth is mature or perfect in intelligence.

a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) II. 849 What with births and immigrations, spring is a season of re-peopling both in the waters and on land.

1968 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 114 1062/2 Animals, such as rats, which are very immature at birth respond with physiological and long-term behavioural effects.

1997 Courier-Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 27 May (On-line section) 21 My boss has conceded that there is a generation gap between us—I routinely read the births in the newspaper, he jumps straight to the deaths.

2017 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 1 Feb. 13 This is one story with a happy ending, with the newlywed couple due to celebrate the birth of their first child together in March.

b. The coming into existence of something; origin, beginning.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > [noun]

ordeOE

thresholdeOE

frumthc950

anginOE

frumeOE

worthOE

beginninga1225

springc1225

commencementc1250

ginninga1300

comsingc1325

entryc1330

aginning1340

alphac1384

incomea1400

formec1400

ingressc1420

birtha1425

principlea1449

comsementa1450

resultancec1450

inition1463

inceptiona1483

entering1526

originala1529

inchoation1530

opening1531

starting1541

principium1550

entrance1553

onset1561

rise1589

begin1590

ingate1591

overture1595

budding1601

initiationa1607

starting off1616

dawninga1631

dawn1633

impriminga1639

start1644

fall1647

initial1656

outset1664

outsettinga1698

going off1714

offsetting1782

offset1791

commence1794

aurora1806

incipiency1817

set-out1821

set-in1826

throw-off1828

go-off1830

outstart1844

start1857

incipience1864

oncome1865

kick-off1875

off-go1886

off1896

get-go1960

lift-off1967

a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 46 Origo, burþ or berynge or bygynnynge.

1546 T. Langley tr. P. Vergil Abridgem. Notable Worke i. iii. f. v^v Affirmyng that al thinges in the world eternal..be by generation endles & with out beginnyng, and haue onely a circuite & course of generacions, wherin both the birth & naturall resolucion of thinges may be perceyued.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 80 Not yet on summers death, nor on the birth Of trembling winter.

1780 J. Bentham Introd. Princ. Morals & Legisl. (1789) xvii. §17 Offences which owe their birth to the joint influence of indolence and pecuniary interest.

1801 National Intelligencer & Washington Advertiser 14 Jan. Should the constitution of the United States expire or determine on the third March 1801..we shall find it expedient to go back to the birth of our nation.

1875 P. G. Hamerton Intellect. Life (ed. 2) x. viii. 376 The birth of a powerful idea.

1930 J. H. Jeans Universe around Us (ed. 2) iv. 217 The stars must also be endowed with rotation at their birth.

2019 Advocate (Burnie, Tasmania) (Nexis) 9 Feb. (Weekender) 23 From the birth of democracy in ancient Greece through to the 18th century Enlightenment and the post-WWII world order, the dominant ideal has been the freedom of the individual.

a. Lineage, descent; rank or social status inherited from one's parents.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > [noun]

kinc892

strindc900

i-cundeOE

bloodOE

kindredOE

birtha1250

strainc1275

gesta1300

offspring?a1300

lineagea1330

descentc1330

linec1330

progenya1382

generationc1384

engendrurec1390

ancestry?a1400

genealogya1400

kind?a1400

stranda1400

coming?a1425

bedc1430

descencec1443

descension1447

ligneea1450

originc1450

family1474

originala1475

extraction1477

nativityc1485

parentelea1492

stirpc1503

stem?c1550

race1563

parentage1565

brood1590

ancientry1596

descendance1599

breeding1600

descendancy1603

delineation1606

extract1631

ancestory1650

agnation1782

havage1799

engendure1867

a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 269 Noblesce and hehnesse of burðe.

?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. met. vi. l. 2165 Al þe linage of men þat ben in erþe ben of semblable burþe.

a1450 Partonope of Blois (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1912) l. 4656 He was of bryth but lowe degree; I my-self made hym free.

1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. i. 155 She is no equall for his birth .

1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 201. ⁋9 A young man whose birth and fortune give him a claim to notice.

1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. 94 Marriages contracted between parties of unequal birth.

1997 G. Hosking Russia (1998) iii. vi. 267 ‘Nobility’ was defined by character, culture and behaviour rather than by birth, rank or wealth.

†b. spec. High social status inherited from one's parents; noble lineage. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble lineage

athelc885

paragea1275

gentle bloodc1300

ancestry?a1400

pedigreec1460

birtha1513

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > [noun] > condition determined by > noble birth or lineage

athelc885

paragea1275

ancestry?a1400

pedigreec1460

birtha1513

a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. cxxxvi. f. lxxii/1 Wilibaldus a great man of birth and myght enuyed this Flantass, in suche wyse that he had hym in dysdaynynge.

a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. i. 431 If loue ambitious, sought a match of birth .

1752 D. Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) I. 96 Birth, titles, & place, must be honoured above industry & riches.

1876 J. H. Newman Hist. Sketches I. iv. 201 There is nothing men more pride themselves on than birth.

†c. A person considered in terms of his or her lineage or inherited social status. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble person or man

earleOE

wyeOE

freeOE

nobleman?c1225

athelc1275

noblec1325

douzepersc1330

freelya1350

hathela1350

gentlec1400

nobleness1490

gentle blood1575

comes1583

altezza1595

birth1596

nobility1841

1596 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) xi. lxii. 270 But should she loue (Foole that I am to hope, that should despaire) Such Births as she not else must loue, but as they licen'st are [etc.].

†3. Innate condition or constitution; a person's original nature, character, or (occasionally) sex. Obsolete. of birth: present from birth; natural.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > sex and gender > [noun]

i-cundeOE

kinc1000

birtha1250

kinda1382

the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > character or nature > [noun]

birtha1250

the manner ofc1300

formc1310

propertyc1390

naturea1393

condition1393

qualitya1398

temperc1400

taragec1407

naturality?a1425

profession?a1439

affecta1460

temperament1471

essence?1533

affection1534

spirit?1534

temperature1539

natural spirit1541

character1577

complexion1589

tincture1590

idiom1596

qualification1602

texture1611

connativea1618

thread1632

genius1639

complexure1648

quale1654

indoles1672

suchness1674

staminaa1676

trim1707

tenor1725

colouring1735

tint1760

type1843

aura1859

thusness1883

physis1923

a1250 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Titus) (1940) l. 167 Þis mihte..athalt hire burðe [c1225 Bodl. burde] i licnesse of heuenliche cunde.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Wisd. xiv. 26 The mischaunging of birthe [1611 King James changing of kinde, margin sexe].

?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. met. vi. l. 2175 Ȝif he norisse his corage vnto vices and forlete his propre burþe.

c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 291 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 870 What is þat on his [sc. a horse's] bakke? of byrthe or on bounden?

1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. ii. 20 Nor ought so good but straind from that faire vse, Reuolts from true birth .

a. The action or process of bearing offspring; parturition. Also: an act or instance of this. Formerly also with possessive pronoun (obsolete). Cf. childbirth n.active birth, alternative birth, Caesarean birth, home birth, hospital birth, etc.: see the first element. See also water birth n. 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery

teamOE

childinga1275

birtha1325

childc1330

deliverancea1375

childbearinga1400

kindlinga1400

birth-bearingc1426

forthbringing1429

childbirth?a1450

parturitya1450

bearinga1500

delivery1548

parture1588

infantment1597

puerpery1602

exclusion1646

parturition1646

venter1657

outbirth1691

clecking1815

parturience1822

birthing1928

natural childbirth1933

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 368 Wif sal under were wunen, In heuerilc birðhe sorge numen.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10575 Quen Anna was cummen to time of birth, Sco bar þat maiden.

a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 57 A woman..sculd be holden vnclene by þe lawe vii dayes aftyr hur burth.

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Colostra, the first milke that commeth in the teates after a birth in woman or beast.

1645 J. Milton Epit. Marchioness of Winchester in Poems 26 Who after yeers of barrennes, The highly favour'd Joseph bore..And at her next birth..Through pangs fled to felicity.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. ii. ii. 85 The Birth of an Heir of his beloved Sister.

1881 W. Gregor Notes Folk-lore N.-E. Scotl. 4 One..wished God speed to the birth.

1914 C. F. Lynch Dis. Swine 687 Whenever it is necessary to give a sow assistance in a difficult birth, make sure that the hands are perfectly clean before starting to handle the case.

2010 Sunday Times (Austral.) (Nexis) 28 Mar. 42 Hypnotists say they are putting women into deep trances during pregnancy and using direct suggestions to ‘switch off the pain’ during birth.

†b. Conception. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > [noun]

conceivinga1382

conceptiona1400

birtha1425

conceita1500

incarnation1548

bagging1611

a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 7 Boþe in birþe in wombe and in birþe of þe wombe.

†5. As the second element in compounds denoting the right of primogeniture, as first birth, firme birth: see the first elements. Obsolete.Recorded earliest in firme birth n. at forme adj.¹ Compounds.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > [noun] > hereditary > right of primogeniture

birtha1325

firme birtha1325

first birtha1387

first-birth right1535

right of primogeniture1602

primogeniture1614

primogenitivea1616

primogenitureship1622

ploughman's fee1660

majorat1827

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1484 Ðe fader luuede esau wel For firme birðe & swete mel.

†6.

a. A child or young animal, esp. before or soon after it is born. Cf. afterbirth n. 2. Obsolete (archaic in later use).Recorded earliest in first birth n. at first adj., adv., and n.² Compounds 1b(b).

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun]

bairn830

childOE

foodc1225

whelp?c1225

birtha1325

first-begottenc1384

conceptiona1398

impc1412

heir1413

foddera1425

fryc1480

collop?1518

increase1552

spawn1589

under-bougha1661

prognate1663

chickadee1860

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > [noun] > offspring

seedOE

offspringOE

begottena1325

birtha1325

issuea1325

burgeoninga1340

fruit of the loinsa1340

young onec1384

increasement1389

geta1400

gendera1425

procreation1461

progeniturec1487

engendera1500

propagation1536

feture1537

increase1552

breed1574

spawn1590

bowela1593

teeming1599

pullulation1641

prolifications1646

educt1677

produce1823

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1187 His wif and oðere birðe beren.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. ix. xxxi. 546 Þe firste burþes of Egipcians were islawe, þe firste burþis of þe Ebrewes were ihalewid.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. ccccxxxiij/2 The moder shold be delyuerd of hyr byrthe.

c1580 ( tr. Bk. Alexander (1925) I. l. 2887 As ane beist hir birth will driue Fra the wolf that wald them riue, His fellowis sa defendit he.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. iii. 122 Vnfather'd heires, and lothly births of nature.

1883 W. G. Black Folk-med. viii. 128 The next birth will be a boy.

b. An unborn child; a fetus. Obsolete. to nim birth: to conceive a child.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > embryo or fetus > [noun]

childOE

birtha1325

fruit of the loinsa1340

conceptiona1398

fetusa1398

embryona1400

feture1540

embryo1576

womb-infant1611

Hans-in-kelder1640

geniture1672

shapeling1674

pudding1937

a bun in the oven1951

preborn1980

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1697 Rachel non birðe ne nam.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 151 (MED) The birþ [L. fetus] naturaly goþ out vpon þe heued, þe face turned toward þe erþe..þe byrþ is made hard for pluralite of birþez [L. fetuum].

1500 Will of Sir John Treffry (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/12) f. 154 I bequeth to the byrth being in the bely of Elyn Danyel.

1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden liv It expelleth the dead Birth.

c. With singular or plural agreement. The offspring of an animal born or hatched at one time; a litter, a brood. Also: a person's children, considered collectively. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] > progeny or offspring

bairn-teamc885

childeOE

tudderc897

seedOE

teamOE

wastum971

offspringOE

i-cundeOE

fostera1175

i-streonc1175

strainc1175

brooda1300

begetc1300

barm-teamc1315

issuea1325

progenyc1330

fruit of the loinsa1340

bowel1382

young onec1384

suita1387

engendrurea1400

fruitinga1400

geta1400

birth?a1425

porturec1425

progenityc1450

bodyfauntc1460

generation1477

fryc1480

enfantement1483

infantment1483

blood issue1535

propagation1536

offspring1548

race1549

family?1552

increase1552

breed1574

begetting1611

sperm1641

bed1832

fruitage1850

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 42^v (MED) He commaundeþ forto put to milke of a sowe swyne giffyng to souke her first birth [L. fetus].

?1614 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses viii. 337 When you come To banquet with your wife and birth at home.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 120. ¶5 Others hatch their Eggs and tend the Birth, till it is able to shift for its self.

d. A thing which originates or derives from something else; the product of a specified thing. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [noun] > creative design or product

findalOE

ideaa1586

conception1587

creationa1616

birth1625

brainchild1631

constructurea1652

notion1742

construction1796

baby1890

1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) xxiv. 139 Innouations, which are the Births of Time.

1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the Second 31 Teaching, we learn; and giving, we retain The Births of Intellect.

1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 66 It was a foolish jest, The birth of vacant brains.

†7. A group of people of common origin or descent; a race, a nation. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > ethnicities > [noun]

thede855

lede971

folkOE

mannishOE

nationc1330

peoplea1375

birtha1400

Santee1698

nationality1832

a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) lxxviii. 10 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 213 And in berthes vnknawen be, Bifore oure eghen, þat we se.

†8. Astrology. A forecast of a person's future, based on the relative positions of the stars and planets at the time of his or her birth; a horoscope. Cf. nativity n. 4. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > horoscope > [noun] > nativity

nativitya1393

birth1480

genesisc1480

nation1487

geniture1599

scheme1612

genethliaca1620

birth paper1824

1480 Curia Sapiencie (Caxton) sig. ej^v The mayd Astrologye Whiche somtyme is kyndely, and precyous..But whan she lust in sterres for to seke The byrthe of man..And wyl Dyuyne..thyng for to be Vnkyndely than, and vnleful is she.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iv. i. 35 A cunning man did calculate my birth, And told me that by Water I should dye.

†9. Scottish. That which grows from the soil; produce, crops. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > [noun] > farm produce

yearc1384

yieldingc1405

yieldc1440

birtha1500

newinga1549

stock and teind1574

yieldance1641

produce1725

produit net1774

cropa1825

farm store1848

out-take1866

agriproduct1969

a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) i. l. 1351 Þar bewis bowis al for byrthe.

a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 25 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 95 Blyth of ye birth yat ye ground bure.

1597 A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae sig. B3 Als graithlie glansing as thay grewe, on trimbling twistis tewch: Quhilk bowed throw burding of thair birth, in hanging downe thair toppis.

10. The circumstances of a person's birth, considered in terms of the state or condition resulting from them. Chiefly in by birth.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > [noun] > condition determined by

kindc1175

birthc1540

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 206^v Teutro..Þat was Brother of birthe to þe bold thelamon.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 430 A Foe by Birth to Troy's unhappy Name.

1765 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. I. ix. 362 A legal settlement was declared to be gained by birth, or by inhabitancy, apprenticeship, or service, for forty days.

1886 A. E. Schlötel Still Wife's Sister II. xxxiii. 307 Pat is credulous, and believes, as he is told, that he is the son of the soil; his birth gives him ownership.

1948 Music & Lett. 29 80 They do not like to see him [sc. Mozart]..as the cosmopolitan artist he obviously is, who could be Germanic in his last opera, not because of his birth, but because he could be anything he chose.

2007 A. Zamoyski Rites of Peace (2008) vi. 85 Jean Anstett..was Alsatian by birth and therefore theoretically a renegade French subject.

†11. Abdominal pain (in a horse). Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > other disorders of horses

trench?a1450

colt-evilc1460

affreyd?1523

cholera1566

crick1566

incording1566

leprosy1566

taint1566

eyesore1576

fistula1576

wrench1578

birth1600

garrot1600

stithy1600

stifling1601

stranglings1601

hungry evil1607

pose1607

crest-fall1609

pompardy1627

felteric1639

quick-scab1639

shingles1639

clap1684

sudden taking1688

bunches1706

flanks1706

strangles1706

chest-founderingc1720

body-founder1737

influenza1792

foundering1802

horse-sickness1822

stag-evil1823

strangullion1830

shivering1847

dourine1864

swamp fever1870

African horse sickness1874

horse-pox1884

African horse disease1888

wind-stroke1890

thump1891

leucoencephalitis1909

western equine encephalitis1933

stachybotryotoxicosis1945

rhinopneumonitis1957

1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. xxviii. 188 In the paine of the bellie [of a horse], which some call the birth [Fr. les ventrees], you shall take the seeds of wild rue [etc.].

Phrases

P1. at a (also one) birth (with reference to the bearing of a specified number of offspring): at a single act of childbirth; after one pregnancy.

ΚΠ

1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lxxxiii. 112 She was long tyme barayne, but god whiche loueth holynesse and humylyte, gaf and sente to her two children at ones, and at one byrthe [Fr. en une ventrée].

1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 229 That girles sister yesterday had two children at a birthe: had two twenesse.

1787 M. Garthshore in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 77 357 The lady..produced at one birth eight perfect children.

1877 E. Coues Fur-bearing Animals ii. 52 They [sc. wolverenes] bring forth in burrows under ground,..and have four or five young at a birth.

2000 P. J. Jarman in P. M. Kappeler Primate Males iii. 25/1 All macropodid species bear a single young at a birth, after a gestation of 21–38 days.

P2.

a. to give (a person or thing) birth.

(a) Of a person.

(i) Of God, a god, or other creative force: to endow (a person, humankind, etc.) with life; to bring into existence.

ΚΠ

1568 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Dial Princes (rev. ed.) ii. xxx. f. 137 Nature gaue me birth, & now she geueth me death.

a1657 G. Daniel Poems III. (1878) 187 The teeming Earth Soe labour'd once, to give a poore Mouse Birth.

1767 W. Harte Amaranth 105 Did not thy Maker, when he gave thee birth, Create thee out of perishable earth?

1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 294 Thus spake the One again: Behold, O Earth!..it is I who gave thee birth.

1995 C. Segal tr. Sophocles in Sophocles' Tragic World viii. 189 And no mortal nature gave them birth.

(ii) To bear (offspring).

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth

forthbring971

akenOE

haveOE

bearOE

to bring into the worldOE

teemOE

i-bereOE

to bring forthc1175

childc1175

reara1275

ofkenc1275

hatcha1350

makea1382

yielda1400

cleck1401

issue1447

engenderc1450

infant1483

deliver?a1518

whelp1581

world1596

yean1598

fall1600

to give (a person or thing) birth1615

to give birth to1633

drop1662

pup1699

born1703

to throw off1742

beteem1855

birth1855

parturiate1866

shell1890

to put to bed1973

bring-

1615 R. Niccols Monodia or Walthams Compl. sig. B7 That buriall to her body dead I giue, Who gaue it birth at first, when it did liue.

1861 Temple Bar June 327 His mother..dies in giving him birth.

2004 C. W. Christian Covenant & Commandment iv. 47 You are as much our child..as if we had given you birth. Welcome to our hearthstone and to our love.

(b) Of a place, time, event, etc.

(i) Of a country, city, etc.: to be the birthplace of (a person).

ΚΠ

1600 Italians Dead Bodie sig. C4^v Two Countries do contend for me, Faire Albion, and Italie: To both I owe my selfe at once, There was I borne, here lye my bones. There did I rise, here do I fall: That gaue me birth, this buriall.

1607 T. Dekker Whore of Babylon sig. C The land of whom the sunne so enamor'd is, He lends them his complexion, giues me birth.

1847 T. M. Hughes tr. in Revelations of Portugal I. v. 59 The land, the lovely land that gave me birth !

1990 K. Lawrence Springs Living Water ix. 194 Spain was matrix, madre to him: she had given him birth, and would sustain him for all his years.

(ii) To produce, give rise to (something); to be the source or origin of.

ΚΠ

1650 J. Tatham Ostella 45 The Breath of Winter that doth Curd the Earth to give the Season free and timely Birth Comes not so sharply violent as this.

1806 Lady Morgan Wild Irish Girl I. vii. 231 Glorvina waved her head in accedence to the idea, as though my lips had given it birth.

1871 R. Browning Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau 78 Those happy heights where many a cloud Combined to give you birth and bid you be The royalest of rivers.

1987 A. Nickon & E. F. Silversmith Org. Chem.: Name Game x. 136 Dr. Bartlett christened radical 26 ‘galvinoxyl’ after the chemist who gave it birth.

b. to give birth to.

(a) Of a place, time, event, etc.

(i) To produce, give rise to (something); to be the source or origin of.

ΚΠ

1605 S. Daniel Trag. Philotas Ep. Ded. sig. A5 in Certaine Small Poems Late Elizas raigne, gaue birth to more Then all the kings of England did before.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 267. ¶6 Æneas's Settlement..gave Birth to the Roman Empire.

1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 201/1 In the north it [sc. the watershed] is found in a stretch of country, called the Height of Land, that lies between the White and the Green Mountains, and gives birth to the Connecticut and a number of smaller streams.

2006 Independent 11 Oct. (Extra section) 12 (heading) In 1966, a riotous extravaganza at the Roundhouse brought together the cream of British counterculture—and gave birth to psychedelia.

(ii) Of a town, city, country, etc.: to be the birthplace of (a person).

ΚΠ

1638 L. Roberts Merchants Mappe of Commerce cclxix. 228 Dartmouth and Plimouth [being] the best havens, this last being from a poore fishing village· become to be a fine towne, by reason of the Castle and commodiousnesse of the haven, and the rather it is to be mentioned, as giving birth to Sir Francis Drake, Knight.

1696 J. Seller Hist. Eng. ix. 181 This County gave Birth to the Renowned Robert Devereux Earl of Essex, who lost his Head in Queen Elizabeths Reign.

1851 J. Brewer & J. W. Barber Patmos 54 The Bishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia was allowed the precedence, because that city gave birth to Chrysostom, the most prominent of the Greek Fathers.

2001 E. Segal Death of Comedy x. 183 This lively town gave birth to the first ‘Roman’ playwright, the bilingual scholar Livius Andronicus.

(b) Of a person.

(i) Of God, a god, or other creative force: to endow (a person, humankind, etc.) with life; to bring into existence.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth

forthbring971

akenOE

haveOE

bearOE

to bring into the worldOE

teemOE

i-bereOE

to bring forthc1175

childc1175

reara1275

ofkenc1275

hatcha1350

makea1382

yielda1400

cleck1401

issue1447

engenderc1450

infant1483

deliver?a1518

whelp1581

world1596

yean1598

fall1600

to give (a person or thing) birth1615

to give birth to1633

drop1662

pup1699

born1703

to throw off1742

beteem1855

birth1855

parturiate1866

shell1890

to put to bed1973

bring-

1633 T. Adams Comm. 2 Peter (i. 3) 53 He put a soule to our flesh, gave birth to the childe, nourishment after birth.

1688 Form Prayer for Safe Delivery of Queen sig. A3^v Thou hast..begun to repair our former losses, by renewing fruitfulness to the Queen, and giving birth to a Royal Prince.

1842 Brit. & Foreign Rev. 13 35 Greece perished—the Porch and the Academy were no more; and from that period until 1729, (when nature gave birth to one of her giant pioneers, known to men as Gottlob Ephraim Lessing,) aesthetics slept the long sleep.

2012 J. Ollhoff Japanese Mythol. 12 The gods gave birth to two people: a man, Izanagi, and a woman, Izanami.

(ii) To bear (offspring).

ΚΠ

1653 W. Harvey Anat. Exercitations l. 266 Or (as it is in the Fable) as if Saturne did then become an Eunuch, and threw his masculine evidences into the Sea, to raise a Foam, which might give birth to Venus.

1691 P. Hay Politicks France (ed. 2) xiii. 157 This is more to be excused in French Women than in others: 'tis their due to be Mistresses; since they may Glory, upon better Title than the Lacedemonian Dames, that they give birth to Men, who are capable of rendring themselves, by their Valour, Conquerors of all the Earth.

1740 A. Hill Gen. Hist. Ottoman Empire xxvi. I, who was Priam's Wife, who first gave Birth To Hector, whose great Actions shook the Earth.

1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. III. 49 His wife, then near the time of giving birth to an infant, fled into the forest.

1924 Jrnl. Agric. Res. 27 513 The stem-mother is always wingless and gives birth to living young parthenogenetically.

2015 Daily Mail 23 May 57/2 Mum-in-law might annoy you but she gave birth to the father of your children and deserves consideration.

c. to give birth.

(a) To produce or create life; to be the source of existence. rare.

ΚΠ

1648 Nose-gay for House of Commons 1 The Sun shall with his quickning rayes give birth.

2012 D. F. Stramara Praying 222 God gives birth without time and without beginning, unaffectedly, unchangingly, and without any need of a sexual partner.

(b) To bear offspring; to have a baby or babies.

ΚΠ

1887 Lutheran Witness 21 Sept. 58/1 The grace of God appeared in its fulness when the virgin gave birth and the angels chanted over the fields of Bethlehem.

1950 Herpetologica 6 74 The eighteen young weighed 27 grams; the female after giving birth weighed 60.5 grams.

2017 W. Wang Chem. 68 It takes my mother ten hours and twenty-three minutes to give birth.

Compounds

C1. General use as a modifier.

a. In sense 1, frequently denoting the time, place, or other circumstances of a person's birth, as birth town, birth year, etc. See also birthday n., birthnight n., birthplace n., birth time n.

ΚΠ

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 22092 Right sua sal þe feind..ches him a birth-sted i-wiss.

1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. E1^v Worse then a slauish wipe, or birth howrs blot.

1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper ii. 140 [Homer] whom nine Cities strove about, which should be his birth-spot.

1709 T. Ellwood Sacred Hist. i. 7 When the Angels had finished their Genethliack, or Birth-Song, and were gone back into Heaven; the Shepherds..said one to Another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem.

1850 D. G. Rossetti Blessed Damozel in Poems (1873) 6 Weaving the golden thread, To fashion the birth-robes for them Who are just born.

1889 Edinb. Rev. July 38 Eighteen hundred and twenty-nine, as remarked before, may be taken as the true birthdate of the railway system.

1933 P. Grainger Let. 23 Jan. in All-round Man (1994) 113 I would dearly love to give my birth-town (Melbourne) a complete chest of these incomparable instruments.

1984 T. C. Boyle Budding Prospects (1985) iv. iv. 292 The story was on page six, tucked way amid a clutter of birth announcements and photographs of bilious-looking Rotarians.

2004 Prediction Apr. 37/2 If your birthday falls near the cusp between two signs, check in an ephemeris to find the changeover date in your birth year.

b. In sense 4, frequently denoting the pain of childbirth, as birth pang, birth throe, etc. Often figurative or in figurative contexts.Recorded earliest in birth time n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > labour or pains

cothec1000

throea1200

pining throesc1225

travailc1300

showera1350

paina1398

travailinga1400

throng1540

labouring1598

travail pang1652

travail pain1662

labour pains1703

mother-pain1709

mother-pang1710

breeding sicknessa1714

bearing pain1787

troublea1825

birth throe1837

a1450 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Claud.) (2009) 187 Þat was mydwyf to me in my bythe-tyme [read byrthe-tyme; a1500 Gough burthtyme].

1666 F. Teate Disc. Prov. 12.5 ii. xxiv. 377 Never had Mother sorrow in her Birth-pangs for a Son; like my Sorrow.

1745 tr. G. van Swieten Comm. Aphorisms Boerhaave IX. 461 Such a painful irritation..about the genitals may easily bring on the birth-pains.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. iv. iv. 189 And so, with death-throes and birth-throes, a new one is to be born.

1913 Trans. 15th Internat. Congr. Hygiene & Demography II. i. 518 Birth assistance to paupers (payment to the midwife and for the bandages) is everywhere given by the communal authorities as not actual poor relief.

2019 Times (Nexis) 26 Jan. 11 John Kennedy Toole's novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, was published in 1980 after the most painful birth pangs in literary history.

c. With verbal nouns, agent nouns, and participles, forming compounds in which birth expresses the object of the underlying verb.

ΚΠ

1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) vi. xxix. 127 Whose birth-brought Nature..returning whence it strayd, Now altred him, erst altring it.

1884 County Gentleman 5 Apr. 427/3 Birth-giving fever, commonly known as ‘heaving’ or ‘straining’ after lambing.

1940 Man 40 53/1 Did not remnants of such birth-promoting rites enter the Attic Thesmophoria,..and was it not just for this reason that young girls and slave-women were excluded?

1987 S. Kitzinger Freedom & Choice in Childbirth 63 The concept of Active Birth is based on the idea that the woman in labour is an active birthgiver, not a passive patient.

d. Modifying participles, with the sense ‘at birth’. See also birth-assigned adj. at Compounds 4.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iv. i. 30 Finger of Birth-strangled Babe.

1932 Sci. News Let. 17 Sept. 175/2 A peculiar stiffness of the body and spasms or wriggling, particularly of the hands and feet, are characteristic of these birth-injured mental defectives.

2004 E. Leeder Family in Global Perspective vii. 149 Societies use skin color, income, historically accrued wealth, ethnic background, or birth-ascribed rank to determine where a family fits within its system.

C2. As a modifier. Existing at or dating from birth; belonging to a person from birth. See also birth name n. at Compounds 4, birthmark n., birthright n.

ΚΠ

1855 Edinb. Rev. July 119 Of the causes of birth-deafness, whether arising from actual defect in the organ of hearing or not, we know little.

1864 Social Sci. Rev. 1 302 A case of birth blindness.

1906 Jrnl. Cutaneous Dis. 24 424 Hypertrichosis..consists in a persistance of this birth-hair, which is not shed and continues to increase.

1952 N.Y. Times 7 Jan. 3 (headline) Gains made in fight on birth blindness.

2017 A. Walthall in S. Frühstück & A. Walthall Child's Play iii. 75 One month after his birth, his family shaved off his birth hair and preserved it.

C3. As a modifier. Designating a person's sex or gender as officially recorded at birth, as in birth gender, birth sex. Cf. assigned adj. Additions. In later use chiefly in contexts where a person’s birth sex or gender is contrasted with the sex or gender with which that person identifies.

ΚΠ

1965 J. F. Oliven Sexual Hygiene & Pathol. (ed. 2) xvi. 393 The physician must refrain from haphazardly or summarily assigning the infant to the apparent birth sex, if any type of external genital ambiguity is present.

1988 LadyLike No. 2. 5/2 If you have truly crossed over that elusive psychological bridge to femininity, then you are very likely to be accepted as a woman regardless of your birth gender.

2019 Atlanta Jrnl.-Constit. (Nexis) 15 Oct. 1 a Pickens County has allowed students who don't want to use the restroom for their birth gender to use a single-person facility.

C4.

birth announcement n. a written announcement of the birth of a child; (originally) one published in a newspaper in a section devoted to announcements of births, deaths, marriages, etc.; (later also) one sent to family and friends, posted on social media, etc.Cf. birth notice n.

ΚΠ

1844 Launceston (Van Diemen's Land) Examiner 12 Oct. 651/1 The birth announcement..was copied in March, 1844.

1881 Dial Oct. 124/1 A novelty in the shape of ‘Birth Announcement Cards’, designed for the use of parents in announcing to friends the birth of a child.

1959 Mt. Airy (N. Carolina) News 14 Apr. 2/3 Birth announcement... Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Scott announce the birth of a daughter, weight eight pounds, five ounces, on April 9 at Chatham Memorial Hospital in Elkin.

2014 Morning Bull. (Rockhampton, Queensland) (Nexis) 18 Mar. 12 Last night she still hadn't posted a birth announcement on Facebook and people were asking me for details.

birth-assigned adj. (of sex or gender) that is assigned to a person at birth; designating the gender assigned at birth.Chiefly used in contexts where a (esp. transgender or transsexual) person’s sex at birth is contrasted with the gender or sex with which that person identifies.

ΚΠ

1991 G. Kates in J. Epstein & K. Straub Body Guards viii. 186 D'Eon refused to accept a birth-assigned gender as the only natural possibility.

2006 S. L. Reicherzer Grounded Theory of New Gender Episteme (Ph.D. diss., St. Mary's University, Texas) iv. 153 Marla is a 23 year-old Hispanic woman, birth-assigned male, who identifies as a ‘male to female transgender’.

2018 Daily Beast (Nexis) 17 Dec. A person's gender can be different from their birth-assigned sex.

birth attendant n. a person, esp. a midwife, who assists women in childbirth and provides antenatal and postnatal care.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > healer > one skilled in obstetrics or midwifery > [noun]

midwifec1300

childwifea1387

midwomana1400

Lucinac1405

matron?a1425

grace-wifec1600

Mother Midnight1602

headswoman1615

handwoman1637

sage woman1672

howdie1725

accoucheur1727

granny1738

obstetrix1773

accoucheuse1795

dukun1817

fingersmith1819

wise woman1821

obstetrician1826

obstetrist1873

tocologist1902

birth attendant1910

S.C.M.1935

monitrice1969

1910 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 26 Nov. 1065/2 The necessity of having copies of birth certificates..has drawn attention to the common neglect on the part of birth attendants to register the additions to the population.

1996 Irish Times 13 Nov. (Developing World section) 10/2 Community health workers were trained alongside traditional birth attendants.

2004 S. McKay in E. van Teijlingen et al. Midwifery & Medicalization Childbirth 157 Women are encouraged to develop a ‘list of wishes’ to be shared with their birth attendants.

birth-bearing n. rare after 16th cent. The action of giving birth to young; childbirth.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery

teamOE

childinga1275

birtha1325

childc1330

deliverancea1375

childbearinga1400

kindlinga1400

birth-bearingc1426

forthbringing1429

childbirth?a1450

parturitya1450

bearinga1500

delivery1548

parture1588

infantment1597

puerpery1602

exclusion1646

parturition1646

venter1657

outbirth1691

clecking1815

parturience1822

birthing1928

natural childbirth1933

c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 116 Slowyn here childer in burþ-beryng.

1578 T. Cooper Thesaurus (new ed.) at Fœtûra The time from conception vnto birth bearing.

2004 Daily Texan (Univ. Texas, Austin) 10 June 12/5 ‘I Do’ describes a man who regretfully marries his ‘blushing bride’ after she performs her functional birth-bearing duties.

birth brief n. Scottish (now historical) a document attesting to a person's identity and genealogy, typically issued when travelling abroad.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > genealogy as study > [noun] > genealogical record > tree, diagram, etc.

tree1297

pedigreec1425

Jesse1463

kindred's tree1605

birth brief1662

family tree1752

pedigree-stick1893

stemma1904

1662 in P. H. Brown Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1908) 3rd Ser. I. 252 The Lords grant warrant as craved for the passing of the said birth-brief.

1888 W. Fraser Memorials Family Wemyss I. p. xlii For the benefit of his Italian kinsmen, the Earl of Wemyss obtained a birth-brief under the great seal of King Charles the Second, in which the descent from the Earls of Fife is affirmed in a general way.

2012 P. P. Bajer Scots in Polish-Lithuanian Commonw., 16th–18th Cent. i. 30 Birth briefs were granted by a town baillie (bailiff) to individuals, natives of a particular municipality and/or district, who had travelled out of the shire or abroad.

birth canal n. the passage through the cervix and vagina to the vulva, which is traversed by the fetus during birth.

ΚΠ

1884 Med. News (U.S.) 16 Feb. 189/1 There is ordinarily such abundant secretion from the birth-canal that absorption is in the highest degree improbable.

1954 G. D. Read Childbirth without Fear (rev. ed.) ii. 10 The natural tension produced by fear influences those muscles which close the womb and oppose the dilatations of the birth canal during labour.

2012 N.Y. Times Mag. 27 May 20/1 The Gaskin Maneuver is used for shoulder dystocia, when a baby's head is born but her shoulders are stuck in the birth canal.

birth centre n. a medical facility specializing in childbirth, esp. one that offers a homelike environment and minimal medical or technological intervention during the birth.

ΚΠ

1963 G. W. Schultz Anat. Turkish Cities (National Res. Council (U.S.)) iii. 115 A classification of land use in Turkish cities... Social areas... Institutional... Education & health... Hospitals, sanitariums, birth centers.

2018 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 10 Dec. a12 The desire to avoid unnecessary medical interventions..has fueled demand for birth centers.

birth certificate n. a certificate attesting to a person's identity, typically containing details of his or her name, parentage, and place and date of birth.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > written record > [noun] > official record > specific

perambulationc1455

fine rolla1603

exhibit1702

perambulatory1773

birth certificate1821

death certificate1850

protocol1880

coronation rolls1883

birth paper1888

1821 Ld. Byron Lett. & Jrnls. (1979) IX. 28 Some delays on account of some birth & marriage certificates..occasioned me not to take my seat for several weeks.

1928 W. C. Hall & J. C. Hall Law of Adoption i. 47 The production of a birth certificate is necessary for candidates for nearly all important examinations and for many kinds of employment.

2000 Independent 23 Mar. i. 9/1 Current laws in Britain prohibit same-sex marriage but a person's gender is officially determined by what is on the birth certificate.

birth chair n. any of various types of chair (typically having a u-shaped seat) designed to be used during childbirth to allow the mother to give birth while seated; = birthing chair n. at birthing n. Compounds 3.

ΚΠ

1830 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 6 450 A birth-chair may be employed, as is the practice with the Germans.

2013 Courier-Jrnl. (Louisville, Kentucky) 9 Feb. a1 Women..could give birth naturally in other ways..such as in water, on their hands and knees or in a birth chair.

birth chart n. Astrology an astrological chart calculated on the basis of a person's exact place and time of birth, and the corresponding planetary positions; = natal chart n. at natal adj.¹ and n.¹ Compounds.

ΚΠ

1899 Sphinx July 18 Imagine a colony with members whose birth charts exhibit every conceivable degree of prosperity in the accumulation of riches.

1979 D. Edmands & E. Edmands Child Signs 13 We..thought we held the key to the mysteries of our own..personality as a result of the birth charts we collected and studied.

2003 K. Daswani For Matrimonial Purposes (U.K. ed.) 224 I had heard my mother say..she would ask for Raju's birth chart and then call in Udhay the astrologer to do a compatibility rating.

birth coat n. the covering of fur or hair with which a mammal, esp. a lamb, is born.

ΚΠ

1902 M. McCulloch-Williams Next to Ground ix. 211 The birth-coat [of a rabbit] is scant and almost rough to the touch.

2008 N. Sargison Sheep Flock Health i. 110 Small lambs with wet birth coats are most susceptible to heat loss from exposure.

birth cohort n. (in demographic and epidemiological studies) a subset of a population selected by birth during a particular time period; also as a modifier, esp. in birth cohort study.

ΚΠ

1938 E. P. Hutchinson in D. S. Thomas et al. Res. Memorandum Migration Differentials App. C2 375 It is highly probable that the same reflux migration occurred at some time in all other birth cohorts.

1978 Phylon 39 380 In the 1960 birth cohort study, infant mortality rates were lowest when the mother was age 20-24 having a first birth.

2016 Times (Nexis) 3 Mar. 4 The research involved carrying out MRI scans of 240 people in the Aberdeen Birth Cohort, a group of people born in the city in 1936.

birth cord n. the umbilical cord; also figurative.

ΚΠ

1872 B. Taylor in Harper's Weekly 8 June 446/1 The certain Fate drew nigh to cleave The birth-cord.

1916 41st Ann. Rep. State Board Charities N.Y. 343 Asphyxiation and the need of inducing respiration, or a twisted birth cord when a physician is not present, may result directly in cerebral disturbance.

2012 J. Harjo Crazy Brave 122 As I questioned the kind of life I was bringing this child into, I felt the sharp tug of my own birth cord, still connected to my mother.

birth defect n. an abnormality present at birth; cf. congenital defect at congenital adj. a.

ΚΠ

?1864 H. Spencer Men that are gone from Darlington vii. 204 Blindness [in one case] was a deprivation and not a birth defect.

1962 Jrnl. Mammol. 42 269 The scar tissue [in the abdomen of a cotton rat] seems to indicate that the abnormality was not a birth defect.

2013 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 6 Nov. f21/1 Clubfoot is a fairly common birth defect.

birth father n. the biological (biological adj. 4) father of a particular child, as contrasted with an adoptive father or stepfather.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > father > [noun]

fatherOE

sirec1250

authora1398

flesh-fathera1400

genitor1447

daddy1523

dad1533

bab1598

patera1600

dada1672

relieving officer1677

papa1681

pappy1722

baba1771

pa1773

governor1783

paw1826

fatherkin1839

pop1840

bap1842

pap1844

da1851

baba1862

puppa1885

pops1893

poppa1897

pot and pan1900

papasana1904

daddy-o1913

bapu1930

baby-father1932

abba1955

birth father1977

1977 Los Angeles Times 27 Mar. xi. 4/5 Sources of outside pressure [on a woman to give her child up for adoption] were the birth father, parents of the mother, [etc.].

2004 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 19 June i. 19/2 If the birth father has been absent emotionally and/or financially, and the stepfather has raised the bride, the subject can be sensitive.

† birth-gazer n. Obsolete rare an astrologer who prepares or studies people's birth charts.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > [noun] > science of nativity > person

birthlotter1549

genethliac1584

nativity-caster1584

birth-gazer1586

welkin-wizard1596

astrologaster1620

genethliatica1649

schemist1652

stoicheiomatic1662

arch-genethliac1835

astro-alchemist1876

1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 42 (margin) Sorcerers, magitians and birth-gazers.

birth injury n. injury incurred by a fetus during the process of birth; an instance of this.

ΚΠ

1889 H. Ashby & G. A. Wright Dis. Children xxii. 394 Three are dead, their death no doubt being directly due to a birth-injury to the brain.

1929 Woodbridge (New Jersey) Leader 19 July 8/1 A contracture due to birth injury.

2010 V. R. Bowden & C. S. Greenberg Children & their Families (ed. 2) 556/1 Common birth injuries are soft tissue injury, extracranial hemorrhage, fracture, and peripheral nerve injury.

† birthlotter n. Obsolete rare an astrologer who prepares or studies people's birth charts.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > [noun] > science of nativity > person

birthlotter1549

genethliac1584

nativity-caster1584

birth-gazer1586

welkin-wizard1596

astrologaster1620

genethliatica1649

schemist1652

stoicheiomatic1662

arch-genethliac1835

astro-alchemist1876

1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus Praise of Folie sig. Ajv An evident argument and token of good lucke, as these byrthlotters saie.

birth mother n. (chiefly in the context of adoption or surrogacy) the woman who gives birth to a particular child.In quot. 1906 figurative.In the context of surrogacy, sometimes contrasted with genetic mother; cf. quot. 1988.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > mother > [noun]

mothereOE

dame?c1225

merea1275

childbearera1382

genitricea1500

mammy1523

dama1547

mama1555

genetrix1561

mam1570

mum?1595

old lady1599

authoressc1603

mam1608

genitress1610

old woman1668

old girl1745

mummy1768

momma1810

madre1815

maw1826

ma1829

marm1835

mater1843

mom1846

mommy1846

maternal1867

motherkins1870

muvver1871

mumsy1876

mamacita1887

mutti1905

birth mother1906

duchess1909

amma1913

momsey1914

mums1915

moms1925

mata1945

baby-mother1966

mama1982

old dear1985

baby-mama1986

1906 I. A. Gregory Bk. Saints & Wonders i. 11 She washed the palms of her hands in the river on the day of the feast of Patrick, and away went the birth-mother of the cold.

1958 P. S. Buck Should White Parents adopt Brown Babies? in Ebony June 28/2 It is a matter of pride with me that the children's birth-mother was Buddhist, that the adoptive parents are Jewish, and that the judge who approved the adoption was Catholic.

1988 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 26 June Banning the use of those techniques [sc. in vitro fertilization and surrogacy] prevents people such as Maggie (baby Alice's genetic mother, social mother and sister of her birth mother Linda) from producing her own genetic offspring.

2001 Independent 9 Apr. ii. 7/1 Throughout my teens I tried to find my birth mother.

birth name n. the name given to a person when he or she is born.

ΚΠ

1809 S. T. Coleridge Friend 23 Nov. 209 'Tis true, Idoloclastes Satyrane (So call him, for so mingling blame with praise And smiles with anxious looks, his earliest friends, Masking his birth-name, wont to character His wild-wood fancy and impetuous zeal).

1911 Yale Law Jrnl. 20 390 While sympathizing with those whose birth names are harsh or even grotesque, we might ask whether it is just to the bearers of honored cognomens to permit such easy misappropriations to continue indefinitely.

2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 9 Jan. ii. 7/2 He is so resolutely dedicated to his persona that he would not give a reporter his birth name.

birth notice n. an announcement in a newspaper of the birth of a child, typically published in a section devoted to announcements of births, deaths, marriages, etc.; cf. birth announcement n..birth announcement is now more common.

ΚΠ

1844 Launceston (Van Diemen's Land) Examiner 12 Oct. 647/1 He came now to the charge of hypocrisy, and having read the commentary on the birth notice, continued.

1925 L. P. Smith Words & Idioms v The birth-notices in The Times.

2019 Canberra Times (Nexis) 26 Jan. (Panorama Mag.) 6 ‘The little angel is evidently healthy, presumably happy, and certainly very very beautiful,’ the birth notice said.

birth order n. the order in which siblings are born into a family; (hence, more usually) a person's position in the order in which they and their siblings were born.

ΚΠ

1901 Amer. Jrnl. Semitic Lang. & Lit. 17 99 As regards the first two of these six, although forming a pair, the first-named (departing from the birth-order in Gen. 30:17–20) is, in Deut., chap. 33, Zebulun.

1901 Biometrika 1 77 The possible correlation of a character or organ in a member of a family with his or her birth order.

2006 Psychologies (U.K. ed.) July 39/2 According to some theories, our place in the family's birth order is the crucial determinant of what kind of person we become... But birth order theories have been called in doubt by scientists carrying out ‘meta-analyses’ involving thousands of subjects.

2019 O. Ghafoerkhan Siblings ii. 12 If you are a firstborn, consider how your birth order impacts you.

birth palsy n. weakness, paralysis, or incoordination of muscles resulting from injury to the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves during the process of birth; an instance of this.Cf. cerebral palsy n. at cerebral adj. Compounds.

ΚΠ

1886 W. R. Gowers Man. Dis. Nerv. Syst. I. 339 The impairment of locomotion gradually lessens in birth-palsy.

1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) xxxviii. 1068 Mechanical injuries received by the child during labour..produce different varieties of ‘birth-palsy’; thus, traction on a limb may tear the nerve-trunks.

2007 S. H. Kozin in J. P. Iannotti & G. R. Williams Disorders Shoulder (ed. 2) II. xxxv. 1113/1 Most brachial plexus birth palsies involve the upper trunk and resolve over time.

birth paper n. †(a) (Indian English) a horoscope prepared by an astrologer upon the birth of a child, forecasting the child's future (Obsolete); (b) an official document recording the details of the birth of a child; = birth certificate n. [In sense (a) after Hindi janmapatra, in the same sense, lit. ‘birth document’ (compare quot. 1824; now usually janmapatrī , as janmapatra has come to denote the official birth certificate; compare sense (b)).]

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > horoscope > [noun] > nativity

nativitya1393

birth1480

genesisc1480

nation1487

geniture1599

scheme1612

genethliaca1620

birth paper1824

society > communication > record > written record > [noun] > official record > specific

perambulationc1455

fine rolla1603

exhibit1702

perambulatory1773

birth certificate1821

death certificate1850

protocol1880

coronation rolls1883

birth paper1888

1824 Christian Guardian Dec. 502/1 A Brahmun, a heathen priest, consults the stars, to learn the fortunes of his life, and writes his jemma puttra, his birth paper, and gives it to his parents, as the prophetic record of what will afterwards happen to this new comer into the world.

1888 Austral. Jrnl. July 593/1 My box, with my marriage certificate and Nellie's birth papers..were stolen.

1901 Gazetteer Bombay Presidency IX: Pt. i. 27 When a marriage is proposed the astrologer compares the boy's and the girl's birth-papers and says whether or not the marriage will be fortunate.

2012 P. Frederick My Life as Immigrant 41 He said that he needed to see the child's birth paper.

birth parent n. a biological (biological adj. 4) parent as contrasted with an adoptive one.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > [noun] > natural

birth parent1972

1971 Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News 4 May 19/5 My parents are not my ‘by birth’ parents, but they're the best parents I know of, and we get along better than any of my friends and their so-called ‘real’ parents do.]

1972 Washington Post 16 July (Outlook section) b3/2 The adoption action presumes the nonexistence of the birth parents—creating a great void in the past.

2002 Caribbean World Summer 21/1 SJ's birth parents separated when she was a year old.

birth pill n. an oral contraceptive tablet; = birth control pill n. at birth control n. Compounds 2; cf. pill n.³ 1c(a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > contraception or birth control > [noun] > a contraceptive > contraceptive pill

birth control pill1916

birth pill1956

pill1956

minipill1968

1956 Information Service (National Council Churches of Christ in U.S.) 13 Oct. 3/1 The effectiveness of this ‘birth pill’ is still under study.

2011 S. Lewis One Day at Time v. 84 No birth pills, no miniskirts, no flower power, and thank goodness, no boys.

birth planet n. Astrology a planet which exerts a powerful or predominating influence over a person, due to its position at the time of his or her birth, or its being associated with his or her birth sign; also called ruling planet, dominant planet.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > heavenly body > as influence on mankind > [noun] > influence > planet as > prevailing in horoscope

almuten1579

hyleg1639

apheta1647

aphetic1652

birth planet1662

1662 J. Donne, Jr. Satyr ii. 39 At length by search he found the day and hour, When his Birth Planet had prevailing power.

1821 Ld. Byron Sardanapalus ii. i. 45 'Tis thy natal ruler—thy birth planet.

1921 Salt Lake Tribune 28 Sept. 16/5 The governing sign Gemini gives this nature a dual character. The birth planet is Mars.

2011 Sunday Mirror (Nexis) 22 May (3 Star ed.) 39 To have an influence on our daily lives, the eclipse degree must be the same as a birth planet. So look out if you're a Gemini or Sagittarian, born on June 1/2 or December 2/3.

† birth poison n. Obsolete original sin; cf. birth sin n.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [noun] > original

fleshc1200

original sinc1350

falla1400

birth poison1528

birth sin?1546

fall from grace1560

lapse1659

lapse from grace1687

birth stain1820

felix culpa1963

1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. cxxvij^v By the reason of originall synne or birth poyson that remayneth in him.

a1555 J. Bradford Let. in M. Coverdale Certain Lett. Martyrs (1564) 371 Our birthpoyson stil sticking & working in vs.

† birth-puffed adj. poetic Obsolete proud of one's ancestry; cf. sense 2a.Apparently an isolated use.

ΚΠ

1793 ‘P. Pindar’ Poet. Epist. to Pope 2 Those birth-puff'd Kings of foreign lands.

birth rate n. the ratio of the number of births per year to the population.Birth rate is typically calculated per thousand people per year.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [noun] > statistics > study of > demographics

birth rate1856

demography1880

natality1885

demographics1892

nuptiality1900

survivorship1949

1856 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 19 288 The marriage rate, which was low, is now slightly above the average rate; the birth rate is high.

1919 W. R. Inge Outspoken Ess. 69 In the Rhondda Valley the birth-rate is still about forty.

2009 Canberra Times (Nexis) 8 June a9 Significant falls have occurred in birth rates in most less developed countries.

birth roll n. a register of people born in a particular place; (also) a written genealogy of a particular person.In quot. 1848 in figurative context.

ΚΠ

1848 Reynolds's Misc. 29 July 41/3 La Fayette proved a hero of devotion—he acquired the friendship of Washington—he inscribed the name of a Frenchman on the birth roll of that transatlantic nation.

1888 Gentleman's Mag. 265 23 Absolute oblivion appears to enshroud every particular connected with his ancestry: there exists no birth-roll recording the names of a long line of his progenitors.

2012 Cancer Causes & Control 23 1567/1 We randomly selected 209,051 controls from California birth rolls.

birthroot n. †(a) a birthwort (probably Aristolochia rotunda) (obsolete); (b) U.S. any of several plants of the genus Trillium having roots used medicinally, esp. to treat haemorrhage or induce uterine contractions; spec. the red trillium, T. erectum.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Liliaceae family or plants > [noun] > Trillium

herb true-love1640

birthroot1707

three-leaved nightshade1760

Trillium1760

true love1760

Indian balm1830

nosebleed1869

wake-robin1871

white bath1891

1707 J. Browne Acct. Wonderful Cures Cold Baths 113 I therefore order'd her the following Clyster. ℞ Roots of Bryony, round Birth-Root an ℥ [etc.]

1820 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. & Surg. 9 334 It [sc. the plant Trillium erectum] is generally known by them [sc. the common people], by the name of birth-root.

1909 J. W. Fyfe Specific Diagnosis & Specific Medication 749 Birthroot is a useful remedy in many abnormal conditions, and is especially so when the wrong is due to relaxation of mucous surfaces.

2001 D. Brown Herbal (2003) 287 Birthroot reaches 50 cm (20 in) high and occurs in moist woodland in eastern North America.

births column n. a column in a newspaper announcing the births of children.

ΚΠ

1842 Bradshaw's Jrnl. 6 Aug. 217/1 And it is not unlikely, if perfectibility continue to progress in the same ratio, that we shall soon read in the ‘births column’, of babies coming into the world ready breeched and booted.

2001 G. Corrigan Wellington i. 1 The births column of the Dublin newspapers announced the birth of a son to the Countess of Mornington on 1 May 1769 in Merrion Street.

birth sign n. Astrology the division of the Zodiac in which the sun is positioned on the ecliptic on a person's birth date, used in determining his or her horoscope; cf. star sign n. 2.The sense in quot. 1566 is uncertain.With regard to Western astrology, see note at sign n. 6a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > [noun] > Zodiac > sign of zodiac > other types

birth sign1566

masculine1650

1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. I^v What vnstable starres What byrthsygnes, once he had.

1885 Official Rep. Calcutta Internat. Exhib. 1883–4 II. 229 The village priest examines the names and birth-signs of the would-be bride and bridegroom, in order to ascertain whether there is a happy agreement between the stars under which they were born.

1941 Sci. Monthly Mar. 243/1 Farnsworth has studied the zodiacal birth signs of some two thousand musicians and painters.

2007 Ecologist July 30/1 She shares a birth sign, Sagittarius, with my mother and several friends and acquaintances.

birth sin n. now rare original sin.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [noun] > original

fleshc1200

original sinc1350

falla1400

birth poison1528

birth sin?1546

fall from grace1560

lapse1659

lapse from grace1687

birth stain1820

felix culpa1963

?1546 tr. M. Luther Last Wil & Last Confession Faith sig. dij^v Thei haue & fele stil their original or birth sinne & fight against it dayly.

1700 C. Ness Divine Legacy All Mankind i. 12 But alas, when he comes to tempt us, he finds a Treacherous Party within, this Birth-sin of ours, which betrays us oftentimes into his hands.

1902 F. R. Tennant Origin & Propagation of Sin i. 16 We notice that the formularies of the various Reformed Churches agree in attaching guilt to birth-sin.

2019 New Statesman (Nexis) 2 Jan. The historic emphasis on unworthiness has been useful to those in power, and the ‘birth sin’ is inherently misogynistic.

birth spacing n. the interval of time between the births of children in a family; (also) the action or practice of planning such intervals; = child spacing n. at child n. Compounds 1b.

ΚΠ

1924 Jrnl. Mental Sci. 70 129 True birth control (which includes birth spacing) can only be soundly directed by the medical practitioner.

2003 J. James in C. Squire Social Context of Birth vi. 93 The great majority..of refugee women..come from a culture of short birth spacing.

birth stool n. any of various types of stool (typically having a u-shaped seat) designed to be used during childbirth to allow the mother to give birth while seated; = birthing stool n. at birthing n. Compounds 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > obstetrical equipment > [noun]

birth stool1627

forceps1634

ungula1684

unguis1752

fillet1753

crotchet1754

lack1754

tire-tête1754

perforator1790

vectis1790

cranioclast1860

binder1861

stirrup1936

vacuum extractor1954

birthing stool1956

ventouse1960

1627 M. Drayton Moone-calfe in Battaile Agincourt 154 Bring forth the Birth-stoole.

1888 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 1 Sept. 521/2 This [sc. the use of a bandage] is now in fashion; not so the birth stool; for, though it has probably been in use somewhere or other ever since the days of Pharaoh (Exodus, i, 16), it is not by any means so frequently used as it ought to be.

2017 Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 10 Dec. 8 Would you like to be upright or lying on a bed for the birth? Do you want to use a birth stool?

† birth-tide n. Obsolete (somewhat archaic in later use) the day or moment of a person's birth; or (in extended use) of the establishment or foundation of something; cf. birth time n.For prefixed Old English gebyrðtid and early Middle English burdtide (in quots. lOE, c1175) see the discussion in the etymology.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > particular time > an anniversary > [noun] > day or date on which one is born

birth-tidea1250

birth timec1330

birthnight1583

birthdaya1594

lOE St. Nicholas (Corpus Cambr.) (1997) 83 Swa þeah ic awrat þæs halgenes gebyrðtide & his derewurðe lif.

c1175 ( Nativity of Virgin (Bodl.) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 118 Be ðare burdtide [OE Hatton gebyrde] þære eadigæn femne sancte marie, hu heo iboren wæs.]

a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 277 Iþi burð tid in al þe burh of belleem ne fant tu hus lewe þer þine nesche childes limes inne mihte reste.

1603 H. Clapham Three Partes Salomon Song of Songs Expounded iii. xv. 204 The time of Circumcision, which euer from the Birth-tide was to be the Eight day.

1889 Glasgow Herald 15 June 9/6 And who has not a kindly feeling for genial John Leech, so familiar to all or most of us who have known Punch from its birth-tide onward!

birth tongue n. rare before mid 19th cent. a person's native language.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > a language > [noun] > native language

lede-quidec1275

birth tonguea1387

mother languagea1425

mother tongue?a1425

vulgar1430

mother's languagec1443

mother's tongue1517

natural language1570

commona1616

natural1665

vernaculara1706

native1824

home language1833

first language1875

Umgangssprache1934

mameloshen1968

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 159 This apayrynge of þe burþe of þe tunge [read burþe tunge; ?a1475 anon tr. natife langage; L. nativæ linguæ corruptio] is bycause of tweie þinges.

1849 Brit. Q. Rev. Nov. 387 They have brought with them a noble heritage—a system of laws which shall become a model to the civilized world—..and a language that shall be the birth-tongue of half the human race.

2012 Past & Present Nov. 48 Children are alternately forbidden or encouraged to speak their birth tongues in classrooms.

birth trauma n. (a) physical injury incurred by a fetus during the process of birth; an instance of this; = birth injury n. (b) birth regarded as a psychologically damaging process; (supposed) psychological difficulties resulting from this process.

ΚΠ

1899 G. M. Tuttle Dis. Children xi. 289 It is well to discover..whether the case is congenital, due to birth-trauma, or acquired.

1929 O. Rank Trauma of Birth p. xiii The to all appearances purely physical birth trauma with its prodigious psychical consequences for the whole development of mankind.

1953 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 15 Aug. 16/2 Or was it because his birth trauma theory, holding that anxiety comes from the birth separation, dethroned the hallowed Oedipus complex?

2017 MailOnline (Nexis) 20 Nov. Often there are issues like bruising from birth trauma.

birth weight n. the weight of a human baby or other young mammal at birth.The birth weight of human infants is routinely measured; low birth weight may be an indicator of prematurity or of intrauterine malnutrition or growth failure.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > amount determined by weighing > weight of person's body > at birth

birth weight1877

1877 Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1876 (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 309 Half of this gain is 451 pounds, which, added to its birth-weight, gives 585 pounds as his [sc. a steer] average weight the first year.

1977 Lancet 30 July 246/1 The terms ‘prematurity’ and ‘immaturity’, with their vague and multiple meanings, have been replaced by the precise terms ‘low birthweight’ (under 2500 g) and ‘preterm’ (less than 37 completed weeks).

2008 Guardian 9 June (G2 section) 6/1 The average birth weight of babies has been creeping up for the past 30 years.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	birth
释义	birthn.¹ Brit. /bəːθ/, U.S. /bərθ/ Forms: early Middle English birðe, early Middle English birðhe, early Middle English burð- (in compounds), early Middle English burðe, Middle English berthe, Middle English berþe, Middle English birþ, Middle English birþe, Middle English borþ (north-west midlands), Middle English breth, Middle English briþ (northern), Middle English bryth, Middle English bryþe, Middle English burth, Middle English burthe, Middle English burþ, Middle English burþe, Middle English byrþ, Middle English byrþe, Middle English–1500s byrth, Middle English–1500s byrthe, Middle English–1600s berth, Middle English–1600s birthe, Middle English (northern) 1600s brith, Middle English– birth, late Middle English bythe (transmission error), 1500s bearth, 1600s buirth, 1700s beth (U.S. regional); Scottish pre-1700 bergh, pre-1700 birgh, pre-1700 birthe, pre-1700 birtht, pre-1700 byrth, pre-1700 byrthe, pre-1700 byrtht, pre-1700 byrtth, pre-1700 1700s– birth. Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps (i) a variant or alteration of another lexical item; modelled on an early Scandinavian lexical item. Or perhaps (ii) a borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymon: birde n. Etymology: Origin uncertain; ultimately < the same Germanic base as birde n. (compare the Germanic forms cited at that entry). Either (i) an alteration of birde n. (compare β. forms at that entry) after early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic burðr (also byrð ) and other Scandinavian forms cited at birde n.), perhaps further influenced by semantically related English forms with a fricative (compare α. forms at burden n. and Old English beorþor (see below)), or (ii) directly < early Scandinavian (see below).Alternative derivations. Alternative (and less likely) suggestions include derivation as an alteration of birde n. after -th suffix¹ (unlikely in the absence of an accompanying alteration of the root vowel after that of bear v.¹), or as the reflex of an unattested Old English cognate of Old Frisian berthe , apparently < a variant (without the operation of Verner's Law) of the Germanic base of birde n. (perhaps also reflected in Gothic gabaurþs ). Borrowing from early Scandinavian. Old Icelandic burðr (compare also Faroese burður , Norwegian (Nynorsk) burd ) probably shows a levelling of the unmutated vowel of the genitive singular and nominative plural to the nominative singular (with a concomitant change from the feminine to the masculine gender); the Middle English word may thus represent a direct borrowing of the original mutated early Scandinavian form *byrðr . (The rare Old Icelandic by-form byrð is probably due to the later influence of Danish or perhaps English.) Old English forms with a fricative. An isolated prefixed form with final fricative is attested as first element of a compound in late Old English gebyrðtide (accusative singular: see quot. lOE for birth-tide n. at Compounds 4). It could, if not simply a scribal error, reflect alteration of earlier Old English gebyrdtīd due to Scandinavian influence, as the source shows evidence of Scandinavian influence on its vocabulary elsewhere. Compare also ultimately related and semantically similar Old English beorþor (also in late West Saxon as byrþor ; early Middle English beorðor ) pregnancy, childbirth, fetus, offspring, which shows a suffixed derivative of bear v.¹ with medial fricative, and also Old English (late West Saxon) byrþere childbearing woman, mother, and -byrðling newborn child, infant (in hysebyrðling male infant), which both probably show derivatives of the same base as beorþor with i-mutation. None of the words of this group survive into Middle English. Earlier compound formations. Some compounds of birth n.¹ are paralleled by formations in birde n. that are attested earlier: with birth-tide n. at Compounds 4 compare Old English gebyrdtīd , byrdtīd , early Middle English ibyrdtīde , burdtīde . Compare also the forms cited at birthday n., birth time n. Specific senses. In sense 7 after post-classical Latin natio in senses ‘birth’, ‘a people united by common language and culture’ (see nation n.¹). In sense 8 after Middle French nativite or post-classical Latin nativitas in this sense (see nativity n.). 1. a. The fact of being born; the emergence of offspring from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being. Also: an instance of a baby's being born.In quot. 1997: (in plural) births announced in a newspaper column. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > [noun] birdeOE birtha1200 i-borenessc1225 bearingc1275 nativityc1375 progressionc1385 gettingc1480 natality1483 naissance1490 falling1533–4 nascence1570 natitial1612 progermination1648 happy event1737 engendure1821 arrival1830 birthhood1867 interesting event1899 a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 47 On þe ehteðe dai efter his burþe. ?a1430 T. Hoccleve Mother of God l. 74 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 54 The birthe of Cryst our thraldom putte vs fro. a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. ii. 51 At thy birth (deere boy) Nature and Fortune ioyn'd to make thee great. View more context for this quotation 1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Burials, in computations of mortality, denote deaths, and stand opposed to births. 1856 Ld. Tennyson Maud (rev. ed.) xix. iv, in Maud & Other Poems (new ed.) 66 Mine by a right, from birth till death. 1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 243 No animal at birth is mature or perfect in intelligence. a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) II. 849 What with births and immigrations, spring is a season of re-peopling both in the waters and on land. 1968 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 114 1062/2 Animals, such as rats, which are very immature at birth respond with physiological and long-term behavioural effects. 1997 Courier-Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 27 May (On-line section) 21 My boss has conceded that there is a generation gap between us—I routinely read the births in the newspaper, he jumps straight to the deaths. 2017 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 1 Feb. 13 This is one story with a happy ending, with the newlywed couple due to celebrate the birth of their first child together in March. b. The coming into existence of something; origin, beginning. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > beginning > [noun] ordeOE thresholdeOE frumthc950 anginOE frumeOE worthOE beginninga1225 springc1225 springc1225 commencementc1250 ginninga1300 comsingc1325 entryc1330 aginning1340 alphac1384 incomea1400 formec1400 ingressc1420 birtha1425 principlea1449 comsementa1450 resultancec1450 inition1463 inceptiona1483 entering1526 originala1529 inchoation1530 opening1531 starting1541 principium1550 entrance1553 onset1561 rise1589 begin1590 ingate1591 overture1595 budding1601 initiationa1607 starting off1616 dawninga1631 dawn1633 impriminga1639 start1644 fall1647 initial1656 outset1664 outsettinga1698 going off1714 offsetting1782 offset1791 commence1794 aurora1806 incipiency1817 set-out1821 set-in1826 throw-off1828 go-off1830 outstart1844 start1857 incipience1864 oncome1865 kick-off1875 off-go1886 off1896 get-go1960 lift-off1967 a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 46 Origo, burþ or berynge or bygynnynge. 1546 T. Langley tr. P. Vergil Abridgem. Notable Worke i. iii. f. v^v Affirmyng that al thinges in the world eternal..be by generation endles & with out beginnyng, and haue onely a circuite & course of generacions, wherin both the birth & naturall resolucion of thinges may be perceyued. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 80 Not yet on summers death, nor on the birth Of trembling winter. View more context for this quotation 1780 J. Bentham Introd. Princ. Morals & Legisl. (1789) xvii. §17 Offences which owe their birth to the joint influence of indolence and pecuniary interest. 1801 National Intelligencer & Washington Advertiser 14 Jan. Should the constitution of the United States expire or determine on the third March 1801..we shall find it expedient to go back to the birth of our nation. 1875 P. G. Hamerton Intellect. Life (ed. 2) x. viii. 376 The birth of a powerful idea. 1930 J. H. Jeans Universe around Us (ed. 2) iv. 217 The stars must also be endowed with rotation at their birth. 2019 Advocate (Burnie, Tasmania) (Nexis) 9 Feb. (Weekender) 23 From the birth of democracy in ancient Greece through to the 18th century Enlightenment and the post-WWII world order, the dominant ideal has been the freedom of the individual. 2. a. Lineage, descent; rank or social status inherited from one's parents. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > [noun] kinc892 strindc900 i-cundeOE bloodOE kindredOE birtha1250 strainc1275 gesta1300 offspring?a1300 lineagea1330 descentc1330 linec1330 progenya1382 generationc1384 engendrurec1390 ancestry?a1400 genealogya1400 kind?a1400 stranda1400 coming?a1425 bedc1430 descencec1443 descension1447 ligneea1450 originc1450 family1474 originala1475 extraction1477 nativityc1485 parentelea1492 stirpc1503 stem?c1550 race1563 parentage1565 brood1590 ancientry1596 descendance1599 breeding1600 descendancy1603 delineation1606 extract1631 ancestory1650 agnation1782 havage1799 engendure1867 a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 269 Noblesce and hehnesse of burðe. ?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. met. vi. l. 2165 Al þe linage of men þat ben in erþe ben of semblable burþe. a1450 Partonope of Blois (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1912) l. 4656 He was of bryth but lowe degree; I my-self made hym free. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. i. 155 She is no equall for his birth . View more context for this quotation 1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 201. ⁋9 A young man whose birth and fortune give him a claim to notice. 1839 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) II. 94 Marriages contracted between parties of unequal birth. 1997 G. Hosking Russia (1998) iii. vi. 267 ‘Nobility’ was defined by character, culture and behaviour rather than by birth, rank or wealth. †b. spec. High social status inherited from one's parents; noble lineage. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble lineage athelc885 paragea1275 gentle bloodc1300 ancestry?a1400 pedigreec1460 birtha1513 society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > [noun] > condition determined by > noble birth or lineage athelc885 paragea1275 ancestry?a1400 pedigreec1460 birtha1513 a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. cxxxvi. f. lxxii/1 Wilibaldus a great man of birth and myght enuyed this Flantass, in suche wyse that he had hym in dysdaynynge. a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. i. 431 If loue ambitious, sought a match of birth . View more context for this quotation 1752 D. Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) I. 96 Birth, titles, & place, must be honoured above industry & riches. 1876 J. H. Newman Hist. Sketches I. iv. 201 There is nothing men more pride themselves on than birth. †c. A person considered in terms of his or her lineage or inherited social status. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [noun] > noble person or man earleOE wyeOE freeOE nobleman?c1225 athelc1275 noblec1325 douzepersc1330 freelya1350 hathela1350 gentlec1400 nobleness1490 gentle blood1575 comes1583 altezza1595 birth1596 nobility1841 1596 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) xi. lxii. 270 But should she loue (Foole that I am to hope, that should despaire) Such Births as she not else must loue, but as they licen'st are [etc.]. †3. Innate condition or constitution; a person's original nature, character, or (occasionally) sex. Obsolete. of birth: present from birth; natural. ΘΚΠ the world > life > sex and gender > [noun] i-cundeOE kinc1000 birtha1250 kinda1382 the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > character or nature > [noun] birtha1250 the manner ofc1300 formc1310 propertyc1390 naturea1393 condition1393 qualitya1398 temperc1400 taragec1407 naturality?a1425 profession?a1439 affecta1460 temperament1471 essence?1533 affection1534 spirit?1534 temperature1539 natural spirit1541 character1577 complexion1589 tincture1590 idiom1596 qualification1602 texture1611 connativea1618 thread1632 genius1639 complexure1648 quale1654 indoles1672 suchness1674 staminaa1676 trim1707 tenor1725 colouring1735 tint1760 type1843 aura1859 thusness1883 physis1923 a1250 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Titus) (1940) l. 167 Þis mihte..athalt hire burðe [c1225 Bodl. burde] i licnesse of heuenliche cunde. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Wisd. xiv. 26 The mischaunging of birthe [1611 King James changing of kinde, margin sexe]. ?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. met. vi. l. 2175 Ȝif he norisse his corage vnto vices and forlete his propre burþe. c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 291 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 870 What is þat on his [sc. a horse's] bakke? of byrthe or on bounden? 1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. ii. 20 Nor ought so good but straind from that faire vse, Reuolts from true birth . View more context for this quotation 4. a. The action or process of bearing offspring; parturition. Also: an act or instance of this. Formerly also with possessive pronoun (obsolete). Cf. childbirth n.active birth, alternative birth, Caesarean birth, home birth, hospital birth, etc.: see the first element. See also water birth n. 4. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery teamOE childinga1275 birtha1325 childc1330 deliverancea1375 childbearinga1400 kindlinga1400 birth-bearingc1426 forthbringing1429 childbirth?a1450 parturitya1450 bearinga1500 delivery1548 parture1588 infantment1597 puerpery1602 exclusion1646 parturition1646 venter1657 outbirth1691 clecking1815 parturience1822 birthing1928 natural childbirth1933 a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 368 Wif sal under were wunen, In heuerilc birðhe sorge numen. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10575 Quen Anna was cummen to time of birth, Sco bar þat maiden. a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 57 A woman..sculd be holden vnclene by þe lawe vii dayes aftyr hur burth. 1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Colostra, the first milke that commeth in the teates after a birth in woman or beast. 1645 J. Milton Epit. Marchioness of Winchester in Poems 26 Who after yeers of barrennes, The highly favour'd Joseph bore..And at her next birth..Through pangs fled to felicity. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. ii. ii. 85 The Birth of an Heir of his beloved Sister. View more context for this quotation 1881 W. Gregor Notes Folk-lore N.-E. Scotl. 4 One..wished God speed to the birth. 1914 C. F. Lynch Dis. Swine 687 Whenever it is necessary to give a sow assistance in a difficult birth, make sure that the hands are perfectly clean before starting to handle the case. 2010 Sunday Times (Austral.) (Nexis) 28 Mar. 42 Hypnotists say they are putting women into deep trances during pregnancy and using direct suggestions to ‘switch off the pain’ during birth. †b. Conception. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > [noun] conceivinga1382 conceptiona1400 birtha1425 conceita1500 incarnation1548 bagging1611 a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 7 Boþe in birþe in wombe and in birþe of þe wombe. †5. As the second element in compounds denoting the right of primogeniture, as first birth, firme birth: see the first elements. Obsolete.Recorded earliest in firme birth n. at forme adj.¹ Compounds. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > [noun] > hereditary > right of primogeniture birtha1325 firme birtha1325 first birtha1387 first-birth right1535 right of primogeniture1602 primogeniture1614 primogenitivea1616 primogenitureship1622 ploughman's fee1660 majorat1827 a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1484 Ðe fader luuede esau wel For firme birðe & swete mel. †6. a. A child or young animal, esp. before or soon after it is born. Cf. afterbirth n. 2. Obsolete (archaic in later use).Recorded earliest in first birth n. at first adj., adv., and n.² Compounds 1b(b). ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] bairn830 childOE foodc1225 whelp?c1225 birtha1325 first-begottenc1384 conceptiona1398 impc1412 heir1413 foddera1425 fryc1480 collop?1518 increase1552 spawn1589 under-bougha1661 prognate1663 chickadee1860 the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > [noun] > offspring seedOE offspringOE begottena1325 birtha1325 issuea1325 burgeoninga1340 fruit of the loinsa1340 young onec1384 increasement1389 geta1400 gendera1425 procreation1461 progeniturec1487 engendera1500 propagation1536 feture1537 increase1552 breed1574 spawn1590 bowela1593 teeming1599 pullulation1641 prolifications1646 educt1677 produce1823 a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1187 His wif and oðere birðe beren. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. ix. xxxi. 546 Þe firste burþes of Egipcians were islawe, þe firste burþis of þe Ebrewes were ihalewid. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. ccccxxxiij/2 The moder shold be delyuerd of hyr byrthe. c1580 ( tr. Bk. Alexander (1925) I. l. 2887 As ane beist hir birth will driue Fra the wolf that wald them riue, His fellowis sa defendit he. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. iii. 122 Vnfather'd heires, and lothly births of nature. View more context for this quotation 1883 W. G. Black Folk-med. viii. 128 The next birth will be a boy. b. An unborn child; a fetus. Obsolete. to nim birth: to conceive a child. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > embryo or fetus > [noun] childOE birtha1325 fruit of the loinsa1340 conceptiona1398 fetusa1398 embryona1400 feture1540 embryo1576 womb-infant1611 Hans-in-kelder1640 geniture1672 shapeling1674 pudding1937 a bun in the oven1951 preborn1980 a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1697 Rachel non birðe ne nam. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 151 (MED) The birþ [L. fetus] naturaly goþ out vpon þe heued, þe face turned toward þe erþe..þe byrþ is made hard for pluralite of birþez [L. fetuum]. 1500 Will of Sir John Treffry (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/12) f. 154 I bequeth to the byrth being in the bely of Elyn Danyel. 1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden liv It expelleth the dead Birth. c. With singular or plural agreement. The offspring of an animal born or hatched at one time; a litter, a brood. Also: a person's children, considered collectively. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] > progeny or offspring bairn-teamc885 childeOE tudderc897 seedOE teamOE wastum971 offspringOE i-cundeOE fostera1175 i-streonc1175 strainc1175 brooda1300 begetc1300 barm-teamc1315 issuea1325 progenyc1330 fruit of the loinsa1340 bowel1382 young onec1384 suita1387 engendrurea1400 fruitinga1400 geta1400 birth?a1425 porturec1425 progenityc1450 bodyfauntc1460 generation1477 fryc1480 enfantement1483 infantment1483 blood issue1535 propagation1536 offspring1548 race1549 family?1552 increase1552 breed1574 begetting1611 sperm1641 bed1832 fruitage1850 ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 42^v (MED) He commaundeþ forto put to milke of a sowe swyne giffyng to souke her first birth [L. fetus]. ?1614 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses viii. 337 When you come To banquet with your wife and birth at home. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 120. ¶5 Others hatch their Eggs and tend the Birth, till it is able to shift for its self. d. A thing which originates or derives from something else; the product of a specified thing. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [noun] > creative design or product findalOE ideaa1586 conception1587 creationa1616 birth1625 brainchild1631 constructurea1652 notion1742 construction1796 baby1890 1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) xxiv. 139 Innouations, which are the Births of Time. 1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the Second 31 Teaching, we learn; and giving, we retain The Births of Intellect. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 66 It was a foolish jest, The birth of vacant brains. †7. A group of people of common origin or descent; a race, a nation. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > [noun] thede855 lede971 folkOE mannishOE nationc1330 peoplea1375 birtha1400 Santee1698 nationality1832 a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) lxxviii. 10 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 213 And in berthes vnknawen be, Bifore oure eghen, þat we se. †8. Astrology. A forecast of a person's future, based on the relative positions of the stars and planets at the time of his or her birth; a horoscope. Cf. nativity n. 4. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > horoscope > [noun] > nativity nativitya1393 birth1480 genesisc1480 nation1487 geniture1599 scheme1612 genethliaca1620 birth paper1824 1480 Curia Sapiencie (Caxton) sig. ej^v The mayd Astrologye Whiche somtyme is kyndely, and precyous..But whan she lust in sterres for to seke The byrthe of man..And wyl Dyuyne..thyng for to be Vnkyndely than, and vnleful is she. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iv. i. 35 A cunning man did calculate my birth, And told me that by Water I should dye. View more context for this quotation †9. Scottish. That which grows from the soil; produce, crops. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > [noun] > farm produce yearc1384 yieldingc1405 yieldc1440 birtha1500 newinga1549 stock and teind1574 yieldance1641 produce1725 produit net1774 cropa1825 farm store1848 out-take1866 agriproduct1969 a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) i. l. 1351 Þar bewis bowis al for byrthe. a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 25 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 95 Blyth of ye birth yat ye ground bure. 1597 A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae sig. B3 Als graithlie glansing as thay grewe, on trimbling twistis tewch: Quhilk bowed throw burding of thair birth, in hanging downe thair toppis. 10. The circumstances of a person's birth, considered in terms of the state or condition resulting from them. Chiefly in by birth. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > [noun] > condition determined by kindc1175 birthc1540 c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 206^v Teutro..Þat was Brother of birthe to þe bold thelamon. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 430 A Foe by Birth to Troy's unhappy Name. 1765 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. I. ix. 362 A legal settlement was declared to be gained by birth, or by inhabitancy, apprenticeship, or service, for forty days. 1886 A. E. Schlötel Still Wife's Sister II. xxxiii. 307 Pat is credulous, and believes, as he is told, that he is the son of the soil; his birth gives him ownership. 1948 Music & Lett. 29 80 They do not like to see him [sc. Mozart]..as the cosmopolitan artist he obviously is, who could be Germanic in his last opera, not because of his birth, but because he could be anything he chose. 2007 A. Zamoyski Rites of Peace (2008) vi. 85 Jean Anstett..was Alsatian by birth and therefore theoretically a renegade French subject. †11. Abdominal pain (in a horse). Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > other disorders of horses trench?a1450 colt-evilc1460 affreyd?1523 cholera1566 crick1566 incording1566 leprosy1566 taint1566 eyesore1576 fistula1576 wrench1578 birth1600 garrot1600 stithy1600 stifling1601 stranglings1601 hungry evil1607 pose1607 crest-fall1609 pompardy1627 felteric1639 quick-scab1639 shingles1639 clap1684 sudden taking1688 bunches1706 flanks1706 strangles1706 chest-founderingc1720 body-founder1737 influenza1792 foundering1802 horse-sickness1822 stag-evil1823 strangullion1830 shivering1847 dourine1864 swamp fever1870 African horse sickness1874 horse-pox1884 African horse disease1888 wind-stroke1890 thump1891 leucoencephalitis1909 western equine encephalitis1933 stachybotryotoxicosis1945 rhinopneumonitis1957 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. xxviii. 188 In the paine of the bellie [of a horse], which some call the birth [Fr. les ventrees], you shall take the seeds of wild rue [etc.]. Phrases P1. at a (also one) birth (with reference to the bearing of a specified number of offspring): at a single act of childbirth; after one pregnancy. ΚΠ 1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lxxxiii. 112 She was long tyme barayne, but god whiche loueth holynesse and humylyte, gaf and sente to her two children at ones, and at one byrthe [Fr. en une ventrée]. 1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 229 That girles sister yesterday had two children at a birthe: had two twenesse. 1787 M. Garthshore in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 77 357 The lady..produced at one birth eight perfect children. 1877 E. Coues Fur-bearing Animals ii. 52 They [sc. wolverenes] bring forth in burrows under ground,..and have four or five young at a birth. 2000 P. J. Jarman in P. M. Kappeler Primate Males iii. 25/1 All macropodid species bear a single young at a birth, after a gestation of 21–38 days. P2. a. to give (a person or thing) birth. (a) Of a person. (i) Of God, a god, or other creative force: to endow (a person, humankind, etc.) with life; to bring into existence. ΚΠ 1568 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Dial Princes (rev. ed.) ii. xxx. f. 137 Nature gaue me birth, & now she geueth me death. a1657 G. Daniel Poems III. (1878) 187 The teeming Earth Soe labour'd once, to give a poore Mouse Birth. 1767 W. Harte Amaranth 105 Did not thy Maker, when he gave thee birth, Create thee out of perishable earth? 1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 294 Thus spake the One again: Behold, O Earth!..it is I who gave thee birth. 1995 C. Segal tr. Sophocles in Sophocles' Tragic World viii. 189 And no mortal nature gave them birth. (ii) To bear (offspring). ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth forthbring971 akenOE haveOE bearOE to bring into the worldOE teemOE i-bereOE to bring forthc1175 childc1175 reara1275 ofkenc1275 hatcha1350 makea1382 yielda1400 cleck1401 issue1447 engenderc1450 infant1483 deliver?a1518 whelp1581 world1596 yean1598 fall1600 to give (a person or thing) birth1615 to give birth to1633 drop1662 pup1699 born1703 to throw off1742 beteem1855 birth1855 parturiate1866 shell1890 to put to bed1973 bring- 1615 R. Niccols Monodia or Walthams Compl. sig. B7 That buriall to her body dead I giue, Who gaue it birth at first, when it did liue. 1861 Temple Bar June 327 His mother..dies in giving him birth. 2004 C. W. Christian Covenant & Commandment iv. 47 You are as much our child..as if we had given you birth. Welcome to our hearthstone and to our love. (b) Of a place, time, event, etc. (i) Of a country, city, etc.: to be the birthplace of (a person). ΚΠ 1600 Italians Dead Bodie sig. C4^v Two Countries do contend for me, Faire Albion, and Italie: To both I owe my selfe at once, There was I borne, here lye my bones. There did I rise, here do I fall: That gaue me birth, this buriall. 1607 T. Dekker Whore of Babylon sig. C The land of whom the sunne so enamor'd is, He lends them his complexion, giues me birth. 1847 T. M. Hughes tr. in Revelations of Portugal I. v. 59 The land, the lovely land that gave me birth ! 1990 K. Lawrence Springs Living Water ix. 194 Spain was matrix, madre to him: she had given him birth, and would sustain him for all his years. (ii) To produce, give rise to (something); to be the source or origin of. ΚΠ 1650 J. Tatham Ostella 45 The Breath of Winter that doth Curd the Earth to give the Season free and timely Birth Comes not so sharply violent as this. 1806 Lady Morgan Wild Irish Girl I. vii. 231 Glorvina waved her head in accedence to the idea, as though my lips had given it birth. 1871 R. Browning Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau 78 Those happy heights where many a cloud Combined to give you birth and bid you be The royalest of rivers. 1987 A. Nickon & E. F. Silversmith Org. Chem.: Name Game x. 136 Dr. Bartlett christened radical 26 ‘galvinoxyl’ after the chemist who gave it birth. b. to give birth to. (a) Of a place, time, event, etc. (i) To produce, give rise to (something); to be the source or origin of. ΚΠ 1605 S. Daniel Trag. Philotas Ep. Ded. sig. A5 in Certaine Small Poems Late Elizas raigne, gaue birth to more Then all the kings of England did before. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 267. ¶6 Æneas's Settlement..gave Birth to the Roman Empire. 1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 201/1 In the north it [sc. the watershed] is found in a stretch of country, called the Height of Land, that lies between the White and the Green Mountains, and gives birth to the Connecticut and a number of smaller streams. 2006 Independent 11 Oct. (Extra section) 12 (heading) In 1966, a riotous extravaganza at the Roundhouse brought together the cream of British counterculture—and gave birth to psychedelia. (ii) Of a town, city, country, etc.: to be the birthplace of (a person). ΚΠ 1638 L. Roberts Merchants Mappe of Commerce cclxix. 228 Dartmouth and Plimouth [being] the best havens, this last being from a poore fishing village· become to be a fine towne, by reason of the Castle and commodiousnesse of the haven, and the rather it is to be mentioned, as giving birth to Sir Francis Drake, Knight. 1696 J. Seller Hist. Eng. ix. 181 This County gave Birth to the Renowned Robert Devereux Earl of Essex, who lost his Head in Queen Elizabeths Reign. 1851 J. Brewer & J. W. Barber Patmos 54 The Bishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia was allowed the precedence, because that city gave birth to Chrysostom, the most prominent of the Greek Fathers. 2001 E. Segal Death of Comedy x. 183 This lively town gave birth to the first ‘Roman’ playwright, the bilingual scholar Livius Andronicus. (b) Of a person. (i) Of God, a god, or other creative force: to endow (a person, humankind, etc.) with life; to bring into existence. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth forthbring971 akenOE haveOE bearOE to bring into the worldOE teemOE i-bereOE to bring forthc1175 childc1175 reara1275 ofkenc1275 hatcha1350 makea1382 yielda1400 cleck1401 issue1447 engenderc1450 infant1483 deliver?a1518 whelp1581 world1596 yean1598 fall1600 to give (a person or thing) birth1615 to give birth to1633 drop1662 pup1699 born1703 to throw off1742 beteem1855 birth1855 parturiate1866 shell1890 to put to bed1973 bring- 1633 T. Adams Comm. 2 Peter (i. 3) 53 He put a soule to our flesh, gave birth to the childe, nourishment after birth. 1688 Form Prayer for Safe Delivery of Queen sig. A3^v Thou hast..begun to repair our former losses, by renewing fruitfulness to the Queen, and giving birth to a Royal Prince. 1842 Brit. & Foreign Rev. 13 35 Greece perished—the Porch and the Academy were no more; and from that period until 1729, (when nature gave birth to one of her giant pioneers, known to men as Gottlob Ephraim Lessing,) aesthetics slept the long sleep. 2012 J. Ollhoff Japanese Mythol. 12 The gods gave birth to two people: a man, Izanagi, and a woman, Izanami. (ii) To bear (offspring). ΚΠ 1653 W. Harvey Anat. Exercitations l. 266 Or (as it is in the Fable) as if Saturne did then become an Eunuch, and threw his masculine evidences into the Sea, to raise a Foam, which might give birth to Venus. 1691 P. Hay Politicks France (ed. 2) xiii. 157 This is more to be excused in French Women than in others: 'tis their due to be Mistresses; since they may Glory, upon better Title than the Lacedemonian Dames, that they give birth to Men, who are capable of rendring themselves, by their Valour, Conquerors of all the Earth. 1740 A. Hill Gen. Hist. Ottoman Empire xxvi. I, who was Priam's Wife, who first gave Birth To Hector, whose great Actions shook the Earth. 1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. III. 49 His wife, then near the time of giving birth to an infant, fled into the forest. 1924 Jrnl. Agric. Res. 27 513 The stem-mother is always wingless and gives birth to living young parthenogenetically. 2015 Daily Mail 23 May 57/2 Mum-in-law might annoy you but she gave birth to the father of your children and deserves consideration. c. to give birth. (a) To produce or create life; to be the source of existence. rare. ΚΠ 1648 Nose-gay for House of Commons 1 The Sun shall with his quickning rayes give birth. 2012 D. F. Stramara Praying 222 God gives birth without time and without beginning, unaffectedly, unchangingly, and without any need of a sexual partner. (b) To bear offspring; to have a baby or babies. ΚΠ 1887 Lutheran Witness 21 Sept. 58/1 The grace of God appeared in its fulness when the virgin gave birth and the angels chanted over the fields of Bethlehem. 1950 Herpetologica 6 74 The eighteen young weighed 27 grams; the female after giving birth weighed 60.5 grams. 2017 W. Wang Chem. 68 It takes my mother ten hours and twenty-three minutes to give birth. Compounds C1. General use as a modifier. a. In sense 1, frequently denoting the time, place, or other circumstances of a person's birth, as birth town, birth year, etc. See also birthday n., birthnight n., birthplace n., birth time n. ΚΠ a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 22092 Right sua sal þe feind..ches him a birth-sted i-wiss. 1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. E1^v Worse then a slauish wipe, or birth howrs blot. 1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper ii. 140 [Homer] whom nine Cities strove about, which should be his birth-spot. 1709 T. Ellwood Sacred Hist. i. 7 When the Angels had finished their Genethliack, or Birth-Song, and were gone back into Heaven; the Shepherds..said one to Another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem. 1850 D. G. Rossetti Blessed Damozel in Poems (1873) 6 Weaving the golden thread, To fashion the birth-robes for them Who are just born. 1889 Edinb. Rev. July 38 Eighteen hundred and twenty-nine, as remarked before, may be taken as the true birthdate of the railway system. 1933 P. Grainger Let. 23 Jan. in All-round Man (1994) 113 I would dearly love to give my birth-town (Melbourne) a complete chest of these incomparable instruments. 1984 T. C. Boyle Budding Prospects (1985) iv. iv. 292 The story was on page six, tucked way amid a clutter of birth announcements and photographs of bilious-looking Rotarians. 2004 Prediction Apr. 37/2 If your birthday falls near the cusp between two signs, check in an ephemeris to find the changeover date in your birth year. b. In sense 4, frequently denoting the pain of childbirth, as birth pang, birth throe, etc. Often figurative or in figurative contexts.Recorded earliest in birth time n. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > labour or pains cothec1000 throea1200 pining throesc1225 travailc1300 showera1350 paina1398 travailinga1400 throng1540 labouring1598 travail pang1652 travail pain1662 labour pains1703 mother-pain1709 mother-pang1710 breeding sicknessa1714 bearing pain1787 troublea1825 birth throe1837 a1450 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Claud.) (2009) 187 Þat was mydwyf to me in my bythe-tyme [read byrthe-tyme; a1500 Gough burthtyme]. 1666 F. Teate Disc. Prov. 12.5 ii. xxiv. 377 Never had Mother sorrow in her Birth-pangs for a Son; like my Sorrow. 1745 tr. G. van Swieten Comm. Aphorisms Boerhaave IX. 461 Such a painful irritation..about the genitals may easily bring on the birth-pains. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. iv. iv. 189 And so, with death-throes and birth-throes, a new one is to be born. 1913 Trans. 15th Internat. Congr. Hygiene & Demography II. i. 518 Birth assistance to paupers (payment to the midwife and for the bandages) is everywhere given by the communal authorities as not actual poor relief. 2019 Times (Nexis) 26 Jan. 11 John Kennedy Toole's novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, was published in 1980 after the most painful birth pangs in literary history. c. With verbal nouns, agent nouns, and participles, forming compounds in which birth expresses the object of the underlying verb. ΚΠ 1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) vi. xxix. 127 Whose birth-brought Nature..returning whence it strayd, Now altred him, erst altring it. 1884 County Gentleman 5 Apr. 427/3 Birth-giving fever, commonly known as ‘heaving’ or ‘straining’ after lambing. 1940 Man 40 53/1 Did not remnants of such birth-promoting rites enter the Attic Thesmophoria,..and was it not just for this reason that young girls and slave-women were excluded? 1987 S. Kitzinger Freedom & Choice in Childbirth 63 The concept of Active Birth is based on the idea that the woman in labour is an active birthgiver, not a passive patient. d. Modifying participles, with the sense ‘at birth’. See also birth-assigned adj. at Compounds 4. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iv. i. 30 Finger of Birth-strangled Babe. View more context for this quotation 1932 Sci. News Let. 17 Sept. 175/2 A peculiar stiffness of the body and spasms or wriggling, particularly of the hands and feet, are characteristic of these birth-injured mental defectives. 2004 E. Leeder Family in Global Perspective vii. 149 Societies use skin color, income, historically accrued wealth, ethnic background, or birth-ascribed rank to determine where a family fits within its system. C2. As a modifier. Existing at or dating from birth; belonging to a person from birth. See also birth name n. at Compounds 4, birthmark n., birthright n. ΚΠ 1855 Edinb. Rev. July 119 Of the causes of birth-deafness, whether arising from actual defect in the organ of hearing or not, we know little. 1864 Social Sci. Rev. 1 302 A case of birth blindness. 1906 Jrnl. Cutaneous Dis. 24 424 Hypertrichosis..consists in a persistance of this birth-hair, which is not shed and continues to increase. 1952 N.Y. Times 7 Jan. 3 (headline) Gains made in fight on birth blindness. 2017 A. Walthall in S. Frühstück & A. Walthall Child's Play iii. 75 One month after his birth, his family shaved off his birth hair and preserved it. C3. As a modifier. Designating a person's sex or gender as officially recorded at birth, as in birth gender, birth sex. Cf. assigned adj. Additions. In later use chiefly in contexts where a person’s birth sex or gender is contrasted with the sex or gender with which that person identifies. ΚΠ 1965 J. F. Oliven Sexual Hygiene & Pathol. (ed. 2) xvi. 393 The physician must refrain from haphazardly or summarily assigning the infant to the apparent birth sex, if any type of external genital ambiguity is present. 1988 LadyLike No. 2. 5/2 If you have truly crossed over that elusive psychological bridge to femininity, then you are very likely to be accepted as a woman regardless of your birth gender. 2019 Atlanta Jrnl.-Constit. (Nexis) 15 Oct. 1 a Pickens County has allowed students who don't want to use the restroom for their birth gender to use a single-person facility. C4. birth announcement n. a written announcement of the birth of a child; (originally) one published in a newspaper in a section devoted to announcements of births, deaths, marriages, etc.; (later also) one sent to family and friends, posted on social media, etc.Cf. birth notice n. ΚΠ 1844 Launceston (Van Diemen's Land) Examiner 12 Oct. 651/1 The birth announcement..was copied in March, 1844. 1881 Dial Oct. 124/1 A novelty in the shape of ‘Birth Announcement Cards’, designed for the use of parents in announcing to friends the birth of a child. 1959 Mt. Airy (N. Carolina) News 14 Apr. 2/3 Birth announcement... Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Scott announce the birth of a daughter, weight eight pounds, five ounces, on April 9 at Chatham Memorial Hospital in Elkin. 2014 Morning Bull. (Rockhampton, Queensland) (Nexis) 18 Mar. 12 Last night she still hadn't posted a birth announcement on Facebook and people were asking me for details. birth-assigned adj. (of sex or gender) that is assigned to a person at birth; designating the gender assigned at birth.Chiefly used in contexts where a (esp. transgender or transsexual) person’s sex at birth is contrasted with the gender or sex with which that person identifies. ΚΠ 1991 G. Kates in J. Epstein & K. Straub Body Guards viii. 186 D'Eon refused to accept a birth-assigned gender as the only natural possibility. 2006 S. L. Reicherzer Grounded Theory of New Gender Episteme (Ph.D. diss., St. Mary's University, Texas) iv. 153 Marla is a 23 year-old Hispanic woman, birth-assigned male, who identifies as a ‘male to female transgender’. 2018 Daily Beast (Nexis) 17 Dec. A person's gender can be different from their birth-assigned sex. birth attendant n. a person, esp. a midwife, who assists women in childbirth and provides antenatal and postnatal care. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > healer > one skilled in obstetrics or midwifery > [noun] midwifec1300 childwifea1387 midwomana1400 Lucinac1405 matron?a1425 grace-wifec1600 Mother Midnight1602 headswoman1615 handwoman1637 sage woman1672 howdie1725 accoucheur1727 granny1738 obstetrix1773 accoucheuse1795 dukun1817 fingersmith1819 wise woman1821 obstetrician1826 obstetrist1873 tocologist1902 birth attendant1910 S.C.M.1935 monitrice1969 1910 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 26 Nov. 1065/2 The necessity of having copies of birth certificates..has drawn attention to the common neglect on the part of birth attendants to register the additions to the population. 1996 Irish Times 13 Nov. (Developing World section) 10/2 Community health workers were trained alongside traditional birth attendants. 2004 S. McKay in E. van Teijlingen et al. Midwifery & Medicalization Childbirth 157 Women are encouraged to develop a ‘list of wishes’ to be shared with their birth attendants. birth-bearing n. rare after 16th cent. The action of giving birth to young; childbirth. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [noun] > childbirth or delivery teamOE childinga1275 birtha1325 childc1330 deliverancea1375 childbearinga1400 kindlinga1400 birth-bearingc1426 forthbringing1429 childbirth?a1450 parturitya1450 bearinga1500 delivery1548 parture1588 infantment1597 puerpery1602 exclusion1646 parturition1646 venter1657 outbirth1691 clecking1815 parturience1822 birthing1928 natural childbirth1933 c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 116 Slowyn here childer in burþ-beryng. 1578 T. Cooper Thesaurus (new ed.) at Fœtûra The time from conception vnto birth bearing. 2004 Daily Texan (Univ. Texas, Austin) 10 June 12/5 ‘I Do’ describes a man who regretfully marries his ‘blushing bride’ after she performs her functional birth-bearing duties. birth brief n. Scottish (now historical) a document attesting to a person's identity and genealogy, typically issued when travelling abroad. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > lineage or descent > genealogy as study > [noun] > genealogical record > tree, diagram, etc. tree1297 pedigreec1425 Jesse1463 kindred's tree1605 birth brief1662 family tree1752 pedigree-stick1893 stemma1904 1662 in P. H. Brown Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1908) 3rd Ser. I. 252 The Lords grant warrant as craved for the passing of the said birth-brief. 1888 W. Fraser Memorials Family Wemyss I. p. xlii For the benefit of his Italian kinsmen, the Earl of Wemyss obtained a birth-brief under the great seal of King Charles the Second, in which the descent from the Earls of Fife is affirmed in a general way. 2012 P. P. Bajer Scots in Polish-Lithuanian Commonw., 16th–18th Cent. i. 30 Birth briefs were granted by a town baillie (bailiff) to individuals, natives of a particular municipality and/or district, who had travelled out of the shire or abroad. birth canal n. the passage through the cervix and vagina to the vulva, which is traversed by the fetus during birth. ΚΠ 1884 Med. News (U.S.) 16 Feb. 189/1 There is ordinarily such abundant secretion from the birth-canal that absorption is in the highest degree improbable. 1954 G. D. Read Childbirth without Fear (rev. ed.) ii. 10 The natural tension produced by fear influences those muscles which close the womb and oppose the dilatations of the birth canal during labour. 2012 N.Y. Times Mag. 27 May 20/1 The Gaskin Maneuver is used for shoulder dystocia, when a baby's head is born but her shoulders are stuck in the birth canal. birth centre n. a medical facility specializing in childbirth, esp. one that offers a homelike environment and minimal medical or technological intervention during the birth. ΚΠ 1963 G. W. Schultz Anat. Turkish Cities (National Res. Council (U.S.)) iii. 115 A classification of land use in Turkish cities... Social areas... Institutional... Education & health... Hospitals, sanitariums, birth centers. 2018 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 10 Dec. a12 The desire to avoid unnecessary medical interventions..has fueled demand for birth centers. birth certificate n. a certificate attesting to a person's identity, typically containing details of his or her name, parentage, and place and date of birth. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > written record > [noun] > official record > specific perambulationc1455 fine rolla1603 exhibit1702 perambulatory1773 birth certificate1821 death certificate1850 protocol1880 coronation rolls1883 birth paper1888 1821 Ld. Byron Lett. & Jrnls. (1979) IX. 28 Some delays on account of some birth & marriage certificates..occasioned me not to take my seat for several weeks. 1928 W. C. Hall & J. C. Hall Law of Adoption i. 47 The production of a birth certificate is necessary for candidates for nearly all important examinations and for many kinds of employment. 2000 Independent 23 Mar. i. 9/1 Current laws in Britain prohibit same-sex marriage but a person's gender is officially determined by what is on the birth certificate. birth chair n. any of various types of chair (typically having a u-shaped seat) designed to be used during childbirth to allow the mother to give birth while seated; = birthing chair n. at birthing n. Compounds 3. ΚΠ 1830 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 6 450 A birth-chair may be employed, as is the practice with the Germans. 2013 Courier-Jrnl. (Louisville, Kentucky) 9 Feb. a1 Women..could give birth naturally in other ways..such as in water, on their hands and knees or in a birth chair. birth chart n. Astrology an astrological chart calculated on the basis of a person's exact place and time of birth, and the corresponding planetary positions; = natal chart n. at natal adj.¹ and n.¹ Compounds. ΚΠ 1899 Sphinx July 18 Imagine a colony with members whose birth charts exhibit every conceivable degree of prosperity in the accumulation of riches. 1979 D. Edmands & E. Edmands Child Signs 13 We..thought we held the key to the mysteries of our own..personality as a result of the birth charts we collected and studied. 2003 K. Daswani For Matrimonial Purposes (U.K. ed.) 224 I had heard my mother say..she would ask for Raju's birth chart and then call in Udhay the astrologer to do a compatibility rating. birth coat n. the covering of fur or hair with which a mammal, esp. a lamb, is born. ΚΠ 1902 M. McCulloch-Williams Next to Ground ix. 211 The birth-coat [of a rabbit] is scant and almost rough to the touch. 2008 N. Sargison Sheep Flock Health i. 110 Small lambs with wet birth coats are most susceptible to heat loss from exposure. birth cohort n. (in demographic and epidemiological studies) a subset of a population selected by birth during a particular time period; also as a modifier, esp. in birth cohort study. ΚΠ 1938 E. P. Hutchinson in D. S. Thomas et al. Res. Memorandum Migration Differentials App. C2 375 It is highly probable that the same reflux migration occurred at some time in all other birth cohorts. 1978 Phylon 39 380 In the 1960 birth cohort study, infant mortality rates were lowest when the mother was age 20-24 having a first birth. 2016 Times (Nexis) 3 Mar. 4 The research involved carrying out MRI scans of 240 people in the Aberdeen Birth Cohort, a group of people born in the city in 1936. birth cord n. the umbilical cord; also figurative. ΚΠ 1872 B. Taylor in Harper's Weekly 8 June 446/1 The certain Fate drew nigh to cleave The birth-cord. 1916 41st Ann. Rep. State Board Charities N.Y. 343 Asphyxiation and the need of inducing respiration, or a twisted birth cord when a physician is not present, may result directly in cerebral disturbance. 2012 J. Harjo Crazy Brave 122 As I questioned the kind of life I was bringing this child into, I felt the sharp tug of my own birth cord, still connected to my mother. birth defect n. an abnormality present at birth; cf. congenital defect at congenital adj. a. ΚΠ ?1864 H. Spencer Men that are gone from Darlington vii. 204 Blindness [in one case] was a deprivation and not a birth defect. 1962 Jrnl. Mammol. 42 269 The scar tissue [in the abdomen of a cotton rat] seems to indicate that the abnormality was not a birth defect. 2013 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 6 Nov. f21/1 Clubfoot is a fairly common birth defect. birth father n. the biological (biological adj. 4) father of a particular child, as contrasted with an adoptive father or stepfather. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > father > [noun] fatherOE sirec1250 authora1398 flesh-fathera1400 genitor1447 daddy1523 dad1533 bab1598 patera1600 dada1672 relieving officer1677 papa1681 pappy1722 baba1771 pa1773 governor1783 paw1826 fatherkin1839 pop1840 bap1842 pap1844 da1851 baba1862 puppa1885 pops1893 poppa1897 pot and pan1900 papasana1904 daddy-o1913 bapu1930 baby-father1932 abba1955 birth father1977 1977 Los Angeles Times 27 Mar. xi. 4/5 Sources of outside pressure [on a woman to give her child up for adoption] were the birth father, parents of the mother, [etc.]. 2004 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 19 June i. 19/2 If the birth father has been absent emotionally and/or financially, and the stepfather has raised the bride, the subject can be sensitive. † birth-gazer n. Obsolete rare an astrologer who prepares or studies people's birth charts. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > [noun] > science of nativity > person birthlotter1549 genethliac1584 nativity-caster1584 birth-gazer1586 welkin-wizard1596 astrologaster1620 genethliatica1649 schemist1652 stoicheiomatic1662 arch-genethliac1835 astro-alchemist1876 1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 42 (margin) Sorcerers, magitians and birth-gazers. birth injury n. injury incurred by a fetus during the process of birth; an instance of this. ΚΠ 1889 H. Ashby & G. A. Wright Dis. Children xxii. 394 Three are dead, their death no doubt being directly due to a birth-injury to the brain. 1929 Woodbridge (New Jersey) Leader 19 July 8/1 A contracture due to birth injury. 2010 V. R. Bowden & C. S. Greenberg Children & their Families (ed. 2) 556/1 Common birth injuries are soft tissue injury, extracranial hemorrhage, fracture, and peripheral nerve injury. † birthlotter n. Obsolete rare an astrologer who prepares or studies people's birth charts. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > [noun] > science of nativity > person birthlotter1549 genethliac1584 nativity-caster1584 birth-gazer1586 welkin-wizard1596 astrologaster1620 genethliatica1649 schemist1652 stoicheiomatic1662 arch-genethliac1835 astro-alchemist1876 1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus Praise of Folie sig. Ajv An evident argument and token of good lucke, as these byrthlotters saie. birth mother n. (chiefly in the context of adoption or surrogacy) the woman who gives birth to a particular child.In quot. 1906 figurative.In the context of surrogacy, sometimes contrasted with genetic mother; cf. quot. 1988. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > mother > [noun] mothereOE dame?c1225 merea1275 childbearera1382 genitricea1500 mammy1523 dama1547 mama1555 genetrix1561 mam1570 mum?1595 old lady1599 authoressc1603 mam1608 genitress1610 old woman1668 old girl1745 mummy1768 momma1810 madre1815 maw1826 ma1829 marm1835 mater1843 mom1846 mommy1846 maternal1867 motherkins1870 muvver1871 mumsy1876 mamacita1887 mutti1905 birth mother1906 duchess1909 amma1913 momsey1914 mums1915 moms1925 mata1945 baby-mother1966 mama1982 old dear1985 baby-mama1986 1906 I. A. Gregory Bk. Saints & Wonders i. 11 She washed the palms of her hands in the river on the day of the feast of Patrick, and away went the birth-mother of the cold. 1958 P. S. Buck Should White Parents adopt Brown Babies? in Ebony June 28/2 It is a matter of pride with me that the children's birth-mother was Buddhist, that the adoptive parents are Jewish, and that the judge who approved the adoption was Catholic. 1988 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 26 June Banning the use of those techniques [sc. in vitro fertilization and surrogacy] prevents people such as Maggie (baby Alice's genetic mother, social mother and sister of her birth mother Linda) from producing her own genetic offspring. 2001 Independent 9 Apr. ii. 7/1 Throughout my teens I tried to find my birth mother. birth name n. the name given to a person when he or she is born. ΚΠ 1809 S. T. Coleridge Friend 23 Nov. 209 'Tis true, Idoloclastes Satyrane (So call him, for so mingling blame with praise And smiles with anxious looks, his earliest friends, Masking his birth-name, wont to character His wild-wood fancy and impetuous zeal). 1911 Yale Law Jrnl. 20 390 While sympathizing with those whose birth names are harsh or even grotesque, we might ask whether it is just to the bearers of honored cognomens to permit such easy misappropriations to continue indefinitely. 2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 9 Jan. ii. 7/2 He is so resolutely dedicated to his persona that he would not give a reporter his birth name. birth notice n. an announcement in a newspaper of the birth of a child, typically published in a section devoted to announcements of births, deaths, marriages, etc.; cf. birth announcement n..birth announcement is now more common. ΚΠ 1844 Launceston (Van Diemen's Land) Examiner 12 Oct. 647/1 He came now to the charge of hypocrisy, and having read the commentary on the birth notice, continued. 1925 L. P. Smith Words & Idioms v The birth-notices in The Times. 2019 Canberra Times (Nexis) 26 Jan. (Panorama Mag.) 6 ‘The little angel is evidently healthy, presumably happy, and certainly very very beautiful,’ the birth notice said. birth order n. the order in which siblings are born into a family; (hence, more usually) a person's position in the order in which they and their siblings were born. ΚΠ 1901 Amer. Jrnl. Semitic Lang. & Lit. 17 99 As regards the first two of these six, although forming a pair, the first-named (departing from the birth-order in Gen. 30:17–20) is, in Deut., chap. 33, Zebulun. 1901 Biometrika 1 77 The possible correlation of a character or organ in a member of a family with his or her birth order. 2006 Psychologies (U.K. ed.) July 39/2 According to some theories, our place in the family's birth order is the crucial determinant of what kind of person we become... But birth order theories have been called in doubt by scientists carrying out ‘meta-analyses’ involving thousands of subjects. 2019 O. Ghafoerkhan Siblings ii. 12 If you are a firstborn, consider how your birth order impacts you. birth palsy n. weakness, paralysis, or incoordination of muscles resulting from injury to the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves during the process of birth; an instance of this.Cf. cerebral palsy n. at cerebral adj. Compounds. ΚΠ 1886 W. R. Gowers Man. Dis. Nerv. Syst. I. 339 The impairment of locomotion gradually lessens in birth-palsy. 1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) xxxviii. 1068 Mechanical injuries received by the child during labour..produce different varieties of ‘birth-palsy’; thus, traction on a limb may tear the nerve-trunks. 2007 S. H. Kozin in J. P. Iannotti & G. R. Williams Disorders Shoulder (ed. 2) II. xxxv. 1113/1 Most brachial plexus birth palsies involve the upper trunk and resolve over time. birth paper n. †(a) (Indian English) a horoscope prepared by an astrologer upon the birth of a child, forecasting the child's future (Obsolete); (b) an official document recording the details of the birth of a child; = birth certificate n. [In sense (a) after Hindi janmapatra, in the same sense, lit. ‘birth document’ (compare quot. 1824; now usually janmapatrī , as janmapatra has come to denote the official birth certificate; compare sense (b)).] ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > astrology > judicial astrology > horoscope > [noun] > nativity nativitya1393 birth1480 genesisc1480 nation1487 geniture1599 scheme1612 genethliaca1620 birth paper1824 society > communication > record > written record > [noun] > official record > specific perambulationc1455 fine rolla1603 exhibit1702 perambulatory1773 birth certificate1821 death certificate1850 protocol1880 coronation rolls1883 birth paper1888 1824 Christian Guardian Dec. 502/1 A Brahmun, a heathen priest, consults the stars, to learn the fortunes of his life, and writes his jemma puttra, his birth paper, and gives it to his parents, as the prophetic record of what will afterwards happen to this new comer into the world. 1888 Austral. Jrnl. July 593/1 My box, with my marriage certificate and Nellie's birth papers..were stolen. 1901 Gazetteer Bombay Presidency IX: Pt. i. 27 When a marriage is proposed the astrologer compares the boy's and the girl's birth-papers and says whether or not the marriage will be fortunate. 2012 P. Frederick My Life as Immigrant 41 He said that he needed to see the child's birth paper. birth parent n. a biological (biological adj. 4) parent as contrasted with an adoptive one. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > [noun] > natural birth parent1972 1971 Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News 4 May 19/5 My parents are not my ‘by birth’ parents, but they're the best parents I know of, and we get along better than any of my friends and their so-called ‘real’ parents do.] 1972 Washington Post 16 July (Outlook section) b3/2 The adoption action presumes the nonexistence of the birth parents—creating a great void in the past. 2002 Caribbean World Summer 21/1 SJ's birth parents separated when she was a year old. birth pill n. an oral contraceptive tablet; = birth control pill n. at birth control n. Compounds 2; cf. pill n.³ 1c(a). ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > contraception or birth control > [noun] > a contraceptive > contraceptive pill birth control pill1916 birth pill1956 pill1956 minipill1968 1956 Information Service (National Council Churches of Christ in U.S.) 13 Oct. 3/1 The effectiveness of this ‘birth pill’ is still under study. 2011 S. Lewis One Day at Time v. 84 No birth pills, no miniskirts, no flower power, and thank goodness, no boys. birth planet n. Astrology a planet which exerts a powerful or predominating influence over a person, due to its position at the time of his or her birth, or its being associated with his or her birth sign; also called ruling planet, dominant planet. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > heavenly body > as influence on mankind > [noun] > influence > planet as > prevailing in horoscope almuten1579 hyleg1639 apheta1647 aphetic1652 birth planet1662 1662 J. Donne, Jr. Satyr ii. 39 At length by search he found the day and hour, When his Birth Planet had prevailing power. 1821 Ld. Byron Sardanapalus ii. i. 45 'Tis thy natal ruler—thy birth planet. 1921 Salt Lake Tribune 28 Sept. 16/5 The governing sign Gemini gives this nature a dual character. The birth planet is Mars. 2011 Sunday Mirror (Nexis) 22 May (3 Star ed.) 39 To have an influence on our daily lives, the eclipse degree must be the same as a birth planet. So look out if you're a Gemini or Sagittarian, born on June 1/2 or December 2/3. † birth poison n. Obsolete original sin; cf. birth sin n. ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [noun] > original fleshc1200 original sinc1350 falla1400 birth poison1528 birth sin?1546 fall from grace1560 lapse1659 lapse from grace1687 birth stain1820 felix culpa1963 1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. cxxvij^v By the reason of originall synne or birth poyson that remayneth in him. a1555 J. Bradford Let. in M. Coverdale Certain Lett. Martyrs (1564) 371 Our birthpoyson stil sticking & working in vs. † birth-puffed adj. poetic Obsolete proud of one's ancestry; cf. sense 2a.Apparently an isolated use. ΚΠ 1793 ‘P. Pindar’ Poet. Epist. to Pope 2 Those birth-puff'd Kings of foreign lands. birth rate n. the ratio of the number of births per year to the population.Birth rate is typically calculated per thousand people per year. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [noun] > statistics > study of > demographics birth rate1856 demography1880 natality1885 demographics1892 nuptiality1900 survivorship1949 1856 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 19 288 The marriage rate, which was low, is now slightly above the average rate; the birth rate is high. 1919 W. R. Inge Outspoken Ess. 69 In the Rhondda Valley the birth-rate is still about forty. 2009 Canberra Times (Nexis) 8 June a9 Significant falls have occurred in birth rates in most less developed countries. birth roll n. a register of people born in a particular place; (also) a written genealogy of a particular person.In quot. 1848 in figurative context. ΚΠ 1848 Reynolds's Misc. 29 July 41/3 La Fayette proved a hero of devotion—he acquired the friendship of Washington—he inscribed the name of a Frenchman on the birth roll of that transatlantic nation. 1888 Gentleman's Mag. 265 23 Absolute oblivion appears to enshroud every particular connected with his ancestry: there exists no birth-roll recording the names of a long line of his progenitors. 2012 Cancer Causes & Control 23 1567/1 We randomly selected 209,051 controls from California birth rolls. birthroot n. †(a) a birthwort (probably Aristolochia rotunda) (obsolete); (b) U.S. any of several plants of the genus Trillium having roots used medicinally, esp. to treat haemorrhage or induce uterine contractions; spec. the red trillium, T. erectum. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Liliaceae family or plants > [noun] > Trillium herb true-love1640 birthroot1707 three-leaved nightshade1760 Trillium1760 true love1760 Indian balm1830 nosebleed1869 wake-robin1871 white bath1891 1707 J. Browne Acct. Wonderful Cures Cold Baths 113 I therefore order'd her the following Clyster. ℞ Roots of Bryony, round Birth-Root an ℥ [etc.] 1820 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. & Surg. 9 334 It [sc. the plant Trillium erectum] is generally known by them [sc. the common people], by the name of birth-root. 1909 J. W. Fyfe Specific Diagnosis & Specific Medication 749 Birthroot is a useful remedy in many abnormal conditions, and is especially so when the wrong is due to relaxation of mucous surfaces. 2001 D. Brown Herbal (2003) 287 Birthroot reaches 50 cm (20 in) high and occurs in moist woodland in eastern North America. births column n. a column in a newspaper announcing the births of children. ΚΠ 1842 Bradshaw's Jrnl. 6 Aug. 217/1 And it is not unlikely, if perfectibility continue to progress in the same ratio, that we shall soon read in the ‘births column’, of babies coming into the world ready breeched and booted. 2001 G. Corrigan Wellington i. 1 The births column of the Dublin newspapers announced the birth of a son to the Countess of Mornington on 1 May 1769 in Merrion Street. birth sign n. Astrology the division of the Zodiac in which the sun is positioned on the ecliptic on a person's birth date, used in determining his or her horoscope; cf. star sign n. 2.The sense in quot. 1566 is uncertain.With regard to Western astrology, see note at sign n. 6a. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > [noun] > Zodiac > sign of zodiac > other types birth sign1566 masculine1650 1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. I^v What vnstable starres What byrthsygnes, once he had. 1885 Official Rep. Calcutta Internat. Exhib. 1883–4 II. 229 The village priest examines the names and birth-signs of the would-be bride and bridegroom, in order to ascertain whether there is a happy agreement between the stars under which they were born. 1941 Sci. Monthly Mar. 243/1 Farnsworth has studied the zodiacal birth signs of some two thousand musicians and painters. 2007 Ecologist July 30/1 She shares a birth sign, Sagittarius, with my mother and several friends and acquaintances. birth sin n. now rare original sin. ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > sin > kinds of sin > [noun] > original fleshc1200 original sinc1350 falla1400 birth poison1528 birth sin?1546 fall from grace1560 lapse1659 lapse from grace1687 birth stain1820 felix culpa1963 ?1546 tr. M. Luther Last Wil & Last Confession Faith sig. dij^v Thei haue & fele stil their original or birth sinne & fight against it dayly. 1700 C. Ness Divine Legacy All Mankind i. 12 But alas, when he comes to tempt us, he finds a Treacherous Party within, this Birth-sin of ours, which betrays us oftentimes into his hands. 1902 F. R. Tennant Origin & Propagation of Sin i. 16 We notice that the formularies of the various Reformed Churches agree in attaching guilt to birth-sin. 2019 New Statesman (Nexis) 2 Jan. The historic emphasis on unworthiness has been useful to those in power, and the ‘birth sin’ is inherently misogynistic. birth spacing n. the interval of time between the births of children in a family; (also) the action or practice of planning such intervals; = child spacing n. at child n. Compounds 1b. ΚΠ 1924 Jrnl. Mental Sci. 70 129 True birth control (which includes birth spacing) can only be soundly directed by the medical practitioner. 2003 J. James in C. Squire Social Context of Birth vi. 93 The great majority..of refugee women..come from a culture of short birth spacing. birth stool n. any of various types of stool (typically having a u-shaped seat) designed to be used during childbirth to allow the mother to give birth while seated; = birthing stool n. at birthing n. Compounds 3. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > obstetrical equipment > [noun] birth stool1627 forceps1634 ungula1684 unguis1752 fillet1753 crotchet1754 lack1754 tire-tête1754 perforator1790 vectis1790 cranioclast1860 binder1861 stirrup1936 vacuum extractor1954 birthing stool1956 ventouse1960 1627 M. Drayton Moone-calfe in Battaile Agincourt 154 Bring forth the Birth-stoole. 1888 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 1 Sept. 521/2 This [sc. the use of a bandage] is now in fashion; not so the birth stool; for, though it has probably been in use somewhere or other ever since the days of Pharaoh (Exodus, i, 16), it is not by any means so frequently used as it ought to be. 2017 Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 10 Dec. 8 Would you like to be upright or lying on a bed for the birth? Do you want to use a birth stool? † birth-tide n. Obsolete (somewhat archaic in later use) the day or moment of a person's birth; or (in extended use) of the establishment or foundation of something; cf. birth time n.For prefixed Old English gebyrðtid and early Middle English burdtide (in quots. lOE, c1175) see the discussion in the etymology. ΘΚΠ the world > time > particular time > an anniversary > [noun] > day or date on which one is born birth-tidea1250 birth timec1330 birthnight1583 birthdaya1594 lOE St. Nicholas (Corpus Cambr.) (1997) 83 Swa þeah ic awrat þæs halgenes gebyrðtide & his derewurðe lif. c1175 ( Nativity of Virgin (Bodl.) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 118 Be ðare burdtide [OE Hatton gebyrde] þære eadigæn femne sancte marie, hu heo iboren wæs.] a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 277 Iþi burð tid in al þe burh of belleem ne fant tu hus lewe þer þine nesche childes limes inne mihte reste. 1603 H. Clapham Three Partes Salomon Song of Songs Expounded iii. xv. 204 The time of Circumcision, which euer from the Birth-tide was to be the Eight day. 1889 Glasgow Herald 15 June 9/6 And who has not a kindly feeling for genial John Leech, so familiar to all or most of us who have known Punch from its birth-tide onward! birth tongue n. rare before mid 19th cent. a person's native language. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > a language > [noun] > native language lede-quidec1275 birth tonguea1387 mother languagea1425 mother tongue?a1425 vulgar1430 mother's languagec1443 mother's tongue1517 natural language1570 commona1616 natural1665 vernaculara1706 native1824 home language1833 first language1875 Umgangssprache1934 mameloshen1968 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 159 This apayrynge of þe burþe of þe tunge [read burþe tunge; ?a1475 anon tr. natife langage; L. nativæ linguæ corruptio] is bycause of tweie þinges. 1849 Brit. Q. Rev. Nov. 387 They have brought with them a noble heritage—a system of laws which shall become a model to the civilized world—..and a language that shall be the birth-tongue of half the human race. 2012 Past & Present Nov. 48 Children are alternately forbidden or encouraged to speak their birth tongues in classrooms. birth trauma n. (a) physical injury incurred by a fetus during the process of birth; an instance of this; = birth injury n. (b) birth regarded as a psychologically damaging process; (supposed) psychological difficulties resulting from this process. ΚΠ 1899 G. M. Tuttle Dis. Children xi. 289 It is well to discover..whether the case is congenital, due to birth-trauma, or acquired. 1929 O. Rank Trauma of Birth p. xiii The to all appearances purely physical birth trauma with its prodigious psychical consequences for the whole development of mankind. 1953 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 15 Aug. 16/2 Or was it because his birth trauma theory, holding that anxiety comes from the birth separation, dethroned the hallowed Oedipus complex? 2017 MailOnline (Nexis) 20 Nov. Often there are issues like bruising from birth trauma. birth weight n. the weight of a human baby or other young mammal at birth.The birth weight of human infants is routinely measured; low birth weight may be an indicator of prematurity or of intrauterine malnutrition or growth failure. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > amount determined by weighing > weight of person's body > at birth birth weight1877 1877 Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1876 (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 309 Half of this gain is 451 pounds, which, added to its birth-weight, gives 585 pounds as his [sc. a steer] average weight the first year. 1977 Lancet 30 July 246/1 The terms ‘prematurity’ and ‘immaturity’, with their vague and multiple meanings, have been replaced by the precise terms ‘low birthweight’ (under 2500 g) and ‘preterm’ (less than 37 completed weeks). 2008 Guardian 9 June (G2 section) 6/1 The average birth weight of babies has been creeping up for the past 30 years. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † birthn.² Forms: pre-1700 birth, pre-1700 birthe, pre-1700 birtht, pre-1700 byrth, pre-1700 byrtth. Origin: Probably a borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymology: Probably < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic byrðr and (with different stem class) byrði , Old Swedish byrþ , byrþe (Swedish börda ), Old Danish byrthe (Danish byrde )), cognate with Old Frisian berthe , berde , Old Dutch burthi (Middle Dutch, Dutch borde ), Middle Low German bȫrde , Old High German burdin , burdī (Middle High German bürde , German Bürde ), Gothic baurþei , all in the sense ‘load, burden’ < the same Germanic base as (with different stem class) birde n. Compare burden n. 3. Scottish. Obsolete. The carrying capacity of a vessel; a vessel's load, considered in terms of its size or weight. Cf. burden n. 3. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > a load back-burden?c1225 load?c1225 carriagea1398 birth1497 freight1618 porterage1666 headload1795 backload1823 the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun] > a) dimension(s) > property of having three dimensions > volume bulkc1449 birth1553 capacity?a1560 crassitude?a1560 solidity1570 content1612 bouka1689 volume1794 cubage1840 1497 in M. Livingstone Reg. Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum (1908) I. 19/1 A Precept of Conduct to vi I nglismen with a schip of [80] of tun or within, or schippis nocht excedand that byrth. 1553 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Eneados v. iii. 31 The bustuous barge..Sa huge of birth, ane ciete semyt sche. 1622 in J. D. Marwick Rec. Convent. Royal Burghs Scotl. (1878) III. 127 The birth of thair schips, barkis, and crears. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022). birthv. Brit. /bəːθ/, U.S. /bərθ/ Forms: early Middle English birðe, 1800s– birth. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: birth n.¹ Etymology: < birth n.¹ Compare bear v.¹ and also born v.Apparently re-formed in the 19th cent.; there is no continuity of use with the isolated early Middle English use seen in quot. a1325 at sense 1. 1. intransitive. To be born. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > be born [verb (intransitive)] arisec950 to come forthOE to come into (also to) the worldOE riseOE breedc1200 kenec1275 birtha1325 to wax forth1362 deliver?c1450 kindlec1450 seed?a1475 issuec1515 arrive1615 born1698 to see the light1752 a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1471 He wrogten [perhaps read wrogten strif] and figt, Queðer here sulde birðen bi-foren. 1865 J. H. Stirling Secret of Hegel I. i. iii. 147 It is difficult to perceive how I am related to it [sc. the universal object], how I birth from it, or decease into it. 1984 J. Phillips Machine Dreams 29 Most people birthed and died at home. 2. a. transitive. Originally and chiefly North American. To give birth to (offspring); to bear.Chiefly U.S. regional (southern and south Midland) in early use. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth forthbring971 akenOE haveOE bearOE to bring into the worldOE teemOE i-bereOE to bring forthc1175 childc1175 reara1275 ofkenc1275 hatcha1350 makea1382 yielda1400 cleck1401 issue1447 engenderc1450 infant1483 deliver?a1518 whelp1581 world1596 yean1598 fall1600 to give (a person or thing) birth1615 to give birth to1633 drop1662 pup1699 born1703 to throw off1742 beteem1855 birth1855 parturiate1866 shell1890 to put to bed1973 bring- 1855 W. Whitman Leaves of Grass 91 She that conceived him in her womb and birthed him. 1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling 405 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. 2013 J. Ballard Black Bears: Falcon Pocket Guide v. 66 Birthing such tiny offspring in January rather than May actually gives young black bears a survival advantage. b. transitive. To produce, bring into being (a condition, state of affairs, etc.); to give rise to; to initiate, originate (a plan, idea, movement, etc.).Now the usual sense. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > causation > [verb (transitive)] wieldeOE timberc897 letc900 rearOE doOE i-wendeOE workOE makeOE bringc1175 raisec1175 shapec1315 to owe (also have) a wold (also on wield)a1325 procurec1330 purchasec1330 causec1340 conform1377 performa1382 excite1398 induce1413 occasionate?c1450 occasionc1454 to bring about1480 gara1500 to bring to passc1513 encause1527 to work out1534 inferc1540 excitate?1549 import1550 ycause1563 frame1576 effect1581 to bring in1584 effectuatea1586 apport?1591 introduce1605 create1607 generate1607 cast1633 efficiate1639 conciliate1646 impetrate1647 state1654 accompass1668 to bring to bear1668 to bring on1671 effectivate1717 makee1719 superinduce1837 birth1913 1913 Everybody's Mag. Mar. 344/2 It is almost incredible—the way proof has followed the prophecy in my ‘Remedy's’ Foreword, the way exposure has birthed conviction. 1945 Business Week 29 Dec. 1 in Amer. Speech (1946) 21 303 The plan for UNO was birthed at Dumbarton Oaks. 2015 Toronto Life Jan. 35 When Drake dad-danced his way through the ‘Hotline Bling’ video, he not only launched a thousand memes, he birthed a new fashion movement. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2020; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.¹a1200n.²1497v.a1325
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birthn.1

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† birthn.2

birthv.

birthn.¹

† birthn.²