different between ancestry vs birth

English

Alternative forms

• ancestrie (obsolete)
• auncestrie (obsolete)
• auncestry (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English auncestrie, from Old French ancesserie. See ancestor.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?æn.s?s.t?i/

Noun

ancestry (plural ancestries)

1. Condition as to ancestors; ancestral lineage; hence, birth or honorable descent.

   Title and ancestry render a good man more illustrious, but an ill one more contemptible. -Addison.

2. A series of ancestors or progenitors; lineage, or those who compose the line of natural descent.

Synonyms

• provenance

Related terms

• ancestor

Translations

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: bûth, IPA^(key): /b???/, verb also: IPA^(key): /b??ð/
• (US) enPR: bûrth, IPA^(key): /b??/, verb also: IPA^(key): /b?ð/
• Rhymes: -??(?)?
• Homophone: berth

Etymology 1

From Middle English birthe (1250), from earlier burthe, burde, from Old Norse burðr, byrd (Old Swedish byrth, Swedish börd), replacing Old English ?ebyrd (rare variant byrþ), equivalent to bear +? -th (compare also berth). The Old Norse is from Proto-Germanic *burdiz (compare Old Frisian berde, berd); Old English ?ebyrd is from prefixed *gaburþiz (compare Dutch geboorte, German Geburt), from Proto-Indo-European *b?r?tis (compare Latin fors (“luck”), Old Irish brith), from *b?er- (“to carry, bear”). More at bear.

Noun

birth (countable and uncountable, plural births)

1. (uncountable) The process of childbearing; the beginning of life.
2. (countable) An instance of childbirth.

3. (countable) A beginning or start; a point of origin.

4. (uncountable) The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.
5. That which is born.
6. Misspelling of berth.

Antonyms

• (beginning of life): death

Translations

Adjective

birth (not comparable)

1. A familial relationship established by childbirth.

   Her birth father left when she was a baby; she was raised by her mother and stepfather.

Synonyms

• biological, blood, consanguineous

Etymology 2

From Middle English birthen, birðen, from the noun (see above).

Verb

birth (third-person singular simple present births, present participle birthing, simple past and past participle birthed)

1. (dated or regional) To bear or give birth to (a child).
2. (figuratively) To produce, give rise to.

Usage notes

• The term give birth (to) is much more common, especially in literal use.

Related terms

• bear
• born

Translations

Derived terms

References

Albanian

Etymology 1

From birë (“hole”).

Noun

birth m (indefinite plural birthe, definite singular birthi, definite plural birthat)

1. pimple, blemish

Related terms

• birë

Etymology 2

Diminutive -th lengthening of bir (“son”).

Noun

birth m (indefinite plural birthe, definite singular birthi, definite plural birthat)

1. son, little boy