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birth

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noun

the act of bringing forth offspring
the act or fact of coming into life, or of being born; nativity
origin or natal background: a Spaniard by birth
good or noble lineage: a man of birth
the beginning of anything: the birth of a nation
an inherited or natural inclination or talent: an actress by birth

intransitive verb, transitive verb

to give birth (to)

adjective

relating or related biologically rather than by adoption; natural: often used in combination: birth mother, birthparent

See birth in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(bûrth)

noun

a. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of the mother.
b. The act or process of bearing young; parturition: the mare's second birth.
c. 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.
a. The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance: strong-willed by birth; acquired their wealth through birth.
b. Origin; extraction: of Swedish birth; of humble birth.
c. Noble or high status: persons of birth.
A beginning or commencement. See Synonyms at beginning.

transitive verb birthed, birth·ing, births
Chiefly Southern U.S.

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

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.

See birth in Ologies

Birth

See also mother; pregnancy

amniomancy

a form of divination by examining the embryonic sac or amniotic fluid.

autogeny, autogony

the spontaneous generation of an organism in an inorganic fluid medium. —autogenous, autogenic, autogonic, autogonous, adj. —autogenously, autogonously, adv.

digoneutism

the ability to produce two broods in a year. —digoneutic, adj.

the theory that embryonic development is totally controlled by the cell’s environment. Cf. syngenesis. —epigenesist, n. —epigenetic, adj.

development of an organism or form of animal life in which body segmentation is complete before hatching. —epimorphic, adj.

the development of a fetus; gestation.

geniture

Obsolete, birth; the process of generation.

1. the process of carrying in the womb.

2. fetation; the process of development of the fetus in the womb.

pregnancy. —gravid, adj.

hysterology

scientific study of the uterus.

Lamaze technique

psychoprophylaxis.

maieusiophobia

tocophobia.

the prineiples and practice of a midwife. Cf. tocology.

the condition or process of producing more than one offspring at one birth. —multiparous, adj.

1. the time, place, and circumstances of a person’s birth.

2. the configuration of the planets at the time of a person’s birth and a representation, as a chart, of that configuration.

nulliparity

the condition in a woman of never having given birth. —nullipara, n. —nulliparous, adj.

the branch of medicine that deals with prenatal and postnatal care and with the delivery of a child. —obstetrician, n. —obstetric, obstetrical, adj.

omphalomancy

a form of divination in which the number of knots in a newborn’s umbilical cord are counted to foretell the number of children the mother will have later.

the surgical process of dividing the umbilical cord.

oviparism

the bearing of offspring by laying eggs that mature outside of the body. —oviparity, n. —oviparous, adj.

ovoviviparism

the bearing of offspring by producing eggs that mature within the body, with the young born alive. —ovoviviparity, n. —ovoviviparous, adj.

a substance or drug that induces or stimulates childbirth. —oxytocic, adj.

1. partial or complete regeneration.

2. the doctrine that a soul passes through several bodies in a series of rebirths. Also palingenesia, palingenesy. —palingenetic, adj.

the state, quality, or fact of having given birth to or having borne offspring.

the state or condition of bringing forth young or being about to begin parturition. —parturient, adj.

childbirth; the act or process of giving birth. —parturient, adj.

a woman who is pregnant for the first time.

a woman who has given birth to one child or who is giving birth for the first time. —primiparity, n. —primiparous, adj.

psychoprophylaxis

a method of preparing women for childbirth without anesthetic, by means of education, psychological and physical conditioning, and breathing exercises. Also called Lamaze technique. —psychoprophylactic, adj.

the state or condition of a woman during and immediately following childbirth. —puerperal, adj.

the process of renewal or rebirth. —recrudescent, adj.

the act or quality of being renewed, reformed, or reborn, especially in a spiritual rebirth. —regenerate, adj.

regenesis

the act or process of renewal or rebirth.

a woman who is pregnant for the second time.

a substance or preparation used for killing sperm, used in contraception. —spermicidal, adj.

a conception occurring after the onset of a pregnancy from an earlier conception.

the theory that the form and development of the embryo are the result of the combined influence of sperm and egg. Cf. epigenesis. —syngenetic, adj.

thoracopagus

a fetal abnormality, consisting of twins joined at the thorax.

the science of obstetrics or midwifery. —tocologist, tokologist, n. —tocological, tokological, adj.

tocophobia, tokophobia

an abnormal fear of childbirth. Also called maieusiophobia.

unigravida

primigravida.

uterogestation

the process of gestation taking place in the womb from conception to birth.

surgical excision of part of the vas deferens, the duet which carries sperm from the testes, performed as a form of male contraception.

viviparism

the bearing of living offspring, characteristic of almost all mammals, many reptiles, and some fishes. —viviparity, n. —viviparous, adj.

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