Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

birth

/bɜːθ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.77 in modern English

Syllables
birth
IPA
/bɜːθ/
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The process of childbearing; the beginning of life; the emergence of a human baby or other viviparous animal offspring from the mother's body into the environment.

Uncountable

noun

An instance of childbirth.

Countable

noun

A beginning or start; a point of origin.

Countable

noun

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

Uncountable

noun

That which is born.

Countable; Uncountable

adj

A familial relationship established by childbirth.

verb

To bear or give birth to (a child).

Transitive verb

verb

To produce, give rise to.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *bʰértisder. Proto-Germanic *burþiz Old Norse burðrbor. Middle English birthe English birth From Middle English birthe (1250), from earlier burthe, burde, from Old Norse burðr, byrd (Old Swedish byrth, Swedish börd), replacing Old English ġebyrd (rare variant byrþ), equivalent to bear + -th (thus a piecewise doublet of berth). The Old Norse is from Proto-Germanic *burdiz (compare Old Frisian berde, berd); Old English ġebyrd is from prefixed *gaburþiz (compare Dutch geboorte, German Geburt), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰŕ̥tis (compare Latin fors (“luck”), Old Irish brith), from *bʰer- (“to carry, bear”). More at bear.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /bɜːθ/
  • British English: /bɜːθ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

births (plural) births (present, singular) birthing (participle, present) birthed (participle, past) birthed (past)

Derived Forms

AFAB AMAB antibirth birf birthchild birthdom birther birthfamily birthfather birthfeast birthgasm birthgiver

Phrases

birth-assigned birth canal birth cert birth-certificate birth certificate birth chair birth chart birth control

Frequently Paired Words

bear born

Synonyms

biological blood consanguineous nativity nascency nascence parturition giving birth birthing

Homonyms

berth (fern–fir–fur merger) boeuf (fern–fir–fur merger, non-rhotic, th-fronting) berth

Antonyms

death

Rhymes With

worth earth perth berth rebirth wentworth firth girth dearth unearth mirth wirth

Questions

How do you pronounce birth?
The recorded pronunciation is /bɜːθ/.
What does birth mean?
The process of childbearing; the beginning of life; the emergence of a human baby or other viviparous animal offspring from the mother's body into the environment.
Where does birth come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce birth

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “birth”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bɜːθ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “birth”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “birth” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.