birthday
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English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English birthdai, birtheday, from Old English ġebyrddæġ (“birthday”), influenced by Old Norse burðr, equivalent to birth + day. Compare Saterland Frisian Gebuursdai (“birthday”), Dutch geboortedag (“birthday”), Low German Geboortsdag (“birthday”), German Geburtstag (“birthday”), Norwegian bursdag, gebursdag (“birthday”).
Eclipsed non-native Middle English nativitee (“birth, nativity, birthday”), from Old French nativité, nativited, from Latin nātīvitas.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈbɜːθ.deɪ/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbɜːθ.dɪ/
Audio (UK): (file) - (US, Canada) enPR: bûrthʹdā', IPA(key): /ˈbɝθˌdeɪ/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)θdeɪ, -ɜːθdɪ
Noun
[edit]birthday (plural birthdays)
- The anniversary of the day on which someone is born. [From 1570s]
- When's your birthday? Mine's on April 1.
- 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], chapter 2, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:
- Oliver Twist's ninth birthday found him a pale thin child, somewhat diminutive in stature, and decidedly small in circumference.
- 1903, L. Frank Baum, The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People, The Fifth Surprise: The Monarch Celebrates His Birthday,
- One of the Wise Men said the King was born in February; another declared it was in May, and a third figured the great event happened in October. So the King issued a royal decree that he should have three birthdays every year, in order to be on the safe side; and whenever he happened to think of it he put in an odd birthday or two for luck.
- 1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, Chapter 9: The pride of Perks,
- "And we thought we'd make a nice birthday for him. He's been so awfully jolly decent to us, you know, Mother," said Peter, "and we agreed that next bun-day we'd ask you if we could."
- c. 1911, Cotton Mather, Worthington Chauncey Ford (editor), Diary of Cotton Mather, Volume 1: 1681-1708, footnote, page 1,
- It was his custom to begin a new year's record on February 12, his birthday.
- 1921 June 4, “Birthday Honours — Companions of Honour”, in The Times:
- The King's Birthday, which occurred yesterday, will be officially observed to-day, and the customary list of honours conferred on the occasion is published.
- The anniversary of the day on which something is created.
- The date on which someone is born or something is created, more commonly called birthdate or date of birth.
- A birthday party.
- I'd like to invite you all to my birthday.
Derived terms
[edit]- birfday
- birthaversary
- birthday attack
- birthday blues
- birthday book
- birthday boy
- birthday buddy
- birthday bump
- birthday cake
- birthday card
- birthday effect
- birthday girl
- birthday honour
- birthdayish
- birthdayless
- birthday noodle
- birthday paradox
- birthday problem
- birthday suit
- birthday-suit
- birthday suited
- birthday-suited
- birthday suiter
- birthday twin
- half birthday
- half-birthday
- happy birthday
- heavenly birthday
- Queen's Birthday
- rebirthday
- unbirthday
Translations
[edit]anniversary
|
date of birth — see also date of birth
|
Verb
[edit]birthday (third-person singular simple present birthdays, present participle birthdaying, simple past and past participle birthdayed)
- (intransitive, informal) To celebrate one's birthday.
See also
[edit]Anagrams
[edit]Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English compound terms
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)θdeɪ
- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)θdeɪ/2 syllables
- Rhymes:English/ɜːθdɪ
- Rhymes:English/ɜːθdɪ/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English informal terms
- en:Calendar