c. 1200, "fact of being born;" mid-13c., "act of giving birth, a bringing forth by the mother, childbirth," sometimes in Middle English also "conception;" also "that which is born, offspring, child;" from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse *byrðr (replacing cognate Old English gebyrd "birth, descent, race; offspring; nature; fate"), from Proto-Germanic *gaburthis (source also of Old Frisian berd, Old Saxon giburd, Dutch geboorte, Old High German giburt, German geburt, Gothic gabaurþs), from PIE *bhrto past participle of root *bher- (1) "to carry; to bear children" (compare bear (v.)).

The Germanic suffix -th is for "process" (as in bath, death). The meaning "condition into which a person is born, lineage, descent" is attested from c. 1200 (it was also in the Old English word). In reference to non-living things, "any coming into existence" is from 1610s. Birth control is from 1914; birth certificate is from 1842.

mid-13c., "be born," from birth (n.). The transitive meaning "give birth to, give rise to" is from 1906. Related: Birthed; birthing.

also birthrate, "proportion of births to the number of inhabitants of a given district," 1859, from birth (n.) + rate (n.).

also birthmark, "congenital mark or blemish," by 1805, from birth (n.) + mark (n.1). Birth marks in 17c. could be longing marks; supposedly they showed the image of something longed for by the mother while expecting. Related: Birthmarked.

"action or process of giving birth," 1901, verbal noun from birth (v.).

"gemstone popularly associated with one's birth month," 1874, from birth (n.) + stone (n.).

also still-birth, 1764, from still (adj.) + birth (n.).

also birth-place, "town, country, etc., where one was born," c. 1600, from birth (n.) + place (n.). Middle English had birthstede (c. 1400).

1812, "reincarnation, repeated birth into temporal existence;" 1833, "renewed life or activity, reanimation, regeneration," from re- "back, again" + birth (n.).

also child-birth, "act of bringing forth a child, labor," mid-15c., from child + birth (n.).