1. 1. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of the mother.
   2. The act or process of bearing young; parturition: the mare's second birth.
   3. The circumstances or conditions relating to this event, as its time or location: an incident that took place before my birth; a Bostonian by birth.
2. 1. The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance: strong-willed by birth; acquired their wealth through birth.
   2. Origin; extraction: of Swedish birth; of humble birth.
   3. Noble or high status: persons of birth.
3. A beginning or commencement. See synonyms at beginning.

1. To deliver (a baby).
2. To bear (a child).

[Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin.]

REGIONAL NOTE   Until recently the use of birth as a verb meaning "to bear (a child)" has been confined to Southern speech: "Heap o' good it do a woman to birth a mess o' young uns and raise 'em and then have 'em all go off to oncet" (Marjorie K. Rawlings). Recently, however, the nonstandard Southern usage has coincided with widespread usage of verbs derived from nouns, such as parent, network, and microwave. Birth in this new usage is most commonly found in its present participial form and is used as an adjective in compounds such as birthing center.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.