Birth (b&etilde_;rth), n. [OE. burth, birth, AS. beorð, gebyrd, fr. beran to bear, bring forth; akin to D. geboorte, OHG. burt, giburt, G. geburt, Icel. burðr, Skr. bhrti bearing, supporting; cf. Ir. & Gael. beirthe born, brought forth. √92. See 1st Bear, and cf. Berth.] 1. The act or fact of coming into life, or of being born; -- generally applied to human beings; as, the birth of a son.
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2. Lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble extraction.
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Elected without reference to birth, but solely for qualifications. Prescott.
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3. The condition to which a person is born; natural state or position; inherited disposition or tendency.
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A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name. Dryden.
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4. The act of bringing forth; as, she had two children at a birth. “At her next birth.” Milton.
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5. That which is born; that which is produced, whether animal or vegetable.
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Poets are far rarer births than kings. B. Jonson.
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Others hatch their eggs and tend the birth till it is able to shift for itself. Addison.
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6. Origin; beginning; as, the birth of an empire.
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New birth (Theol.), regeneration, or the commencement of a religious life.
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Syn. -- Parentage; extraction; lineage; race; family.
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