birth

Definitions

1. 1.Lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble extraction. Elected without reference to birth, but solely for qualifications. Prescott.
2. 2.The condition to which a person is born; natural state or position; inherited disposition or tendency. A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name. Dryden.
3. 3.The act of bringing forth; as, she had two children at a birth. "At her next birth." Milton.
4. 4.That which is born; that which is produced, whether animal or vegetable. Poets are far rarer births that kings. B. Jonson. Others hatch their eggs and tend the birth till it is able to shift for itself. Addison.
5. 5.Origin; beginning; as, the birth of an empire. New birth (Theol.), regeneration, or the commencement of a religious life.
6. 6.See Berth. [Obs.] De Foe.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "birth" mean?
• What is another word for "birth"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is birth.

• What is lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble extraction. Elected without reference to birth, but solely for qualifications. Prescott called?
• What is the condition to which a person is born; natural state or position; inherited disposition or tendency. A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name. Dryden called?
• What is the act of bringing forth; as, she had two children at a birth. "At her next birth." Milton called?
• What is origin; beginning; as, the birth of an empire. New birth (Theol.), regeneration, or the commencement of a religious life called?