birth

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of the mother.
2. n. The act or process of bearing young; parturition: the mare's second birth.
3. n. 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.
4. n. The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance: strong-willed by birth; acquired their wealth through birth.
5. n. Origin; extraction: of Swedish birth; of humble birth.
6. n. Noble or high status: persons of birth.
7. n. A beginning or commencement. See Synonyms at beginning.
8. v. Chiefly Southern U.S. To deliver (a baby).
9. v. Chiefly Southern U.S. To bear (a child).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The fact of being born; nativity.
2. n. By extension, any act or fact of coming into existence; beginning; origination: as, the birth of Protestantism.
3. n. The act of bearing or bringing forth; parturition: as, “at her next birth,”
4. n. The condition into which a person is born; lineage; extraction; descent: as, Grecian birth; noble birth: sometimes, absolutely, descent from noble or honorable parents and ancestors: as, a man of birth.
5. n. That which is born; that which is produced.
6. n. Nature; kind; sex; natural character.
7. n. In astrology, nativity; fortune.
8. n. See berth.

Wiktionary

1. n. uncountable The process of childbearing.
2. n. countable An instance of childbirth.
3. n. countable A beginning or start; a point of origin.
4. n. uncountable The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.
5. adj. A familial relationship established by childbirth.
6. v. To bear or give birth to (a child).
7. v. figuratively To produce, give rise to.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act or fact of coming into life, or of being born; -- generally applied to human beings.
2. n. Lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble extraction.
3. n. The condition to which a person is born; natural state or position; inherited disposition or tendency.
4. n. The act of bringing forth.
5. n. That which is born; that which is produced, whether animal or vegetable.
6. n. Origin; beginning.
7. n. obsolete See berth.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. cause to be born
2. n. the process of giving birth
3. n. the time when something begins (especially life)
4. n. the kinship relation of an offspring to the parents
5. n. a baby born; an offspring
6. n. the event of being born