birthright

English

Etymology

From birth +‎ right. Compare West Frisian berterjocht (“birthright”), Dutch geboorterecht (“birthright”), German Geburtsrecht (“birthright”). Compare also Icelandic frumburðarréttur (“birthright”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɝθ.ɹaɪt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɜːθ.ɹaɪt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

birthright (plural birthrights)

1. Something a person is entitled to due to the circumstances of their birth, such as an inheritance or citizenship.

   Freedom of speech is our birthright.

   • 1922, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, The Old English Herbals, London: Longmans, Green and Co., page 13:

     Not only has suburban life separated the great concentrated masses of our people from their birthright of meadows, fields and woods; of Nature, in her untamed splendour and mystery, most of them have never had so much as a momentary glimpse.

   • 1973, “California Saga (The Beaks Of Eagles)”, in Robinson Jeffers (lyrics), Holland, performed by The Beach Boys:

     Though it's the birthright of man to unify and live his life as one / A whisper of the word will let you soar with your soul

   • 2017 July 16, Brandon Nowalk, “Chickens and dragons come home to roost on Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[1], archived from the original on 25 July 2017:

     But a practically solo sequence of Dany walking through her old empty house without saying anything for minutes on end is, let’s say, a lot to ask of Emilia Clarke. She’s back at Dragonstone to reclaim her birthright, the seven or so kingdoms.

   • 2025 January 21, AJ Willingham, “What the 14th Amendment says about birthright citizenship”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     For one, it clearly states that American citizenship is a birthright for all people who are born on American soil — something that President Donald Trump has announced he wants to end.

   • 2026 September 5, Jo Ellison, “Meet the office influencers”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 20:

     Flexible work hours are now regarded as a birthright by many employees.

Derived terms

• birthright citizen
• birthright citizenship
• sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage

Translations

something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance

• Albanian: e drejtë e lindjes f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 傳家寶 / 传家宝 (zh) (chuánjiābǎo)

• Ewe: ŋgɔgbevinyenye
• Finnish: syntymäoikeus
• German: Geburtsrecht (de) n
• Ido: naskala yuro, naskoyuro, senioryuro
• Italian: diritto di nascita m
• Japanese: 生得権
• Polish: przyrodzone prawo n
• Scottish Gaelic: còir-bhreith f, dual m
• Tamil: பிறப்புரிமை (ta) (piṟappurimai)