birth
/bɜːθ/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈɚθ] /bɜːrθ/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈɚθ] /ˈbərth/ (ame, mw) · [bˈɚθ] /bɝːθ/ (ame, ipa)
birth — noun
- birthsingular
- birthsplural
1. the event or process in which a baby is delivered, or an animal enters the world
the event or process in which a baby is delivered, or an animal enters the world from its mother
Ada stayed calm throughout the long birth in the small village clinic.
medical setting: a long birth in a clinic
The horse needed help because the birth started two weeks early.
Christopher missed breakfast while waiting outside the room during the birth.
The loud storm made the difficult birth even more stressful for everyone.
- childbirth
usually refers to human delivery rather than animal young
- delivery
more medical and often used in hospitals
用法筆記
Used for the event itself or the whole period of delivery, not for the baby after delivery.
2. a baby counted as newly born, especially in medical or official records
a baby counted as newly born, especially in medical or official records
The clinic recorded 412 live births in the town last year.
formal statistics: live births
Female births were more common than male births in that district.
The report tracked premature births during the winter virus season.
Doctors compared live births in villages and nearby cities.
用法筆記
Mostly seen in formal phrases such as live births or multiple births, not in everyday talk about one baby.
3. a person's family origin and inherited social standing, especially where rank ma
a person's family origin and inherited social standing, especially where rank matters
Because of her noble birth, Yael entered circles others could not.
collocation: noble birth
His birth gave him land, servants, and a seat at court.
In that old system, talent mattered less than birth.
People judged her by birth before hearing her ideas.
- lineage
stresses family line rather than social rank itself
- background
broader and less tied to class or inherited status
用法筆記
Focuses on family rank or inherited class position, not on nationality or birthplace.
4. the place, nationality, or ethnic group someone belongs to because of where they
the place, nationality, or ethnic group someone belongs to because of where they were born or who their parents are
Madison is Canadian by birth but has lived in Seoul for years.
pattern: nationality + by birth
Though British by birth, Faisal grew up speaking Arabic at home.
By birth, Gita belonged to the island's smallest ethnic group.
The actor was Italian by birth and Mexican by citizenship.
- origin
broader and not always limited to birth
- nationality
focuses on national belonging rather than ethnic background
用法筆記
Used with nationality, birthplace, or ethnic origin, not with family rank or social class.
5. the point when something new first starts or comes into existence
the point when something new first starts or comes into existence
Cheap phones helped mark the birth of online shopping in small towns.
pattern: the birth of + new activity
Historians link the birth of jazz to several Southern cities.
The stormy debate was the birth of a new student movement.
That meeting marked the birth of their plan to open a bakery.
- end
the point where something finishes rather than starts
用法筆記
Often appears in the pattern the birth of something to describe a new idea, group, period, or plan starting.
birth — verb
- birthpresent simple I / you / we / they
- births3rd person singular
- birthing-ing form
- birthedpast simple
1. for a woman or female animal to have young and bring them into the world
for a woman or female animal to have young and bring them into the world
The cow birthed a calf just before sunrise in the wet field.
animal-care writing: birth used as a verb
After a long labor, the mother birthed a healthy girl at dawn.
The mare birthed during the night while Hyun checked the barn.
The whale birthed far from the noisy boats at dawn.
用法筆記
More direct and less common than the usual phrase give birth, and often seen in medical, animal-care, or activist writing.
2. to help a woman or animal through delivery so the baby or young can be born safe
to help a woman or animal through delivery so the baby or young can be born safely
The midwife birthed two babies during the power cut last night.
professional helper as subject
Only trained staff may birth foals on this farm.
The vet birthed the weak lamb and rubbed it dry.
Nurses worked in pairs to birth the baby safely.
用法筆記
This sense is about assisting the delivery, so the subject is usually a midwife, nurse, vet, or another helper.
3. to bring a new idea, group, period, or habit into existence
to bring a new idea, group, period, or habit into existence
The online protest birthed a wider debate about school rules.
figurative use: cause something new to exist
Shared anger birthed a union that spread across three factories.
The crisis birthed new habits around saving food and money.
That noisy garage birthed several bands now famous across Europe.
用法筆記
Often used in formal or vivid writing for changes that seem to grow out of a situation, not for making one physical object.
birth — adjective
- birthpositive
- birthercomparative
- birthestsuperlative
1. used for the parent, child, or family linked by blood rather than by adoption
used for the parent, child, or family linked by blood rather than by adoption
At sixteen, Tariq searched online for his birth mother.
before-noun use: birth mother
The papers listed both adoptive parents and the birth father.
The child met her birth parents after she turned eighteen.
After years abroad, Christopher met members of his birth family.
- biological
more formal and used across a wider range of contexts
- genetic
focuses more narrowly on inherited physical or medical traits
- adoptive
describes the legal family relationship instead of the blood one
用法筆記
Usually comes before nouns such as mother, father, parent, or family when someone is adopted or comparing legal and biological relationships.