Part 660

Birt (brt), n. [OE. byrte; cf. F. bertonneau. Cf. Bret, Burt.] (Zoöl.) A fish of the turbot kind; the brill. [Written also burt, bret, or brut.] [Prov. Eng.]

Birth (brth), n. [OE. burth, birth, AS. beor, 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.

2. Lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble extraction.

Elected without reference to birth, but solely for qualifications. Prescott.

3. The condition to which a person is born; natural state or position; inherited disposition or tendency.

A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name. Dryden.

4. The act of bringing forth; as, she had two children at a birth. "At her next birth." Milton.

5. That which is born; that which is produced, whether animal or vegetable.

Poets are far rarer births than kings. B. Jonson.

Others hatch their eggs and tend the birth till it is able to shift for itself. Addison.

6. Origin; beginning; as, the birth of an empire.

New birth (Theol.), regeneration, or the commencement of a religious life.

Syn. -- Parentage; extraction; lineage; race; family.

Birth, n. See Berth. [Obs.] De Foe.

Birth"day` (brth"d`), n. 1. The day in which any person is born; day of origin or commencement.

Those barbarous ages past, succeeded next The birthday of invention. Cowper.

2. The day of the month in which a person was born, in whatever succeeding year it may recur; the anniversary of one's birth.

This is my birthday; as this very day Was Cassius born. Shak.

Birth"day`, a. Of or pertaining to the day of birth, or its anniversary; as, birthday gifts or festivities.

Birth"dom (&?;), n. [Birth + - dom.] The land of one's birth; one's inheritance. [R.] Shak.

Birth"ing, n. (Naut.) Anything added to raise the sides of a ship. Bailey.

Birth"less, a. Of mean extraction. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

Birth"mark` (&?;), n. Some peculiar mark or blemish on the body at birth.

Most part of this noble lineage carried upon their body for a natural birthmark, . . . a snake. Sir T. North.

Birth"night` (&?;), n. The night in which a person is born; the anniversary of that night in succeeding years.

The angelic song in Bethlehem field, On thy birthnight, that sung thee Savior born. Milton.

Birth"place` (&?;), n. The town, city, or country, where a person is born; place of origin or birth, in its more general sense. "The birthplace of valor." Burns.

Birth"right` (&?;), n. Any right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth, such as an estate descendible by law to an heir, or civil liberty under a free constitution; esp. the rights or inheritance of the first born.