Birthday

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɜːθ.deɪ/

Definitions

1. The annual recurrence of the date on which a person was born, typically marked by celebration and the giving of gifts
2. An occasion that celebrates the anniversary of a person's birth, often celebrated with gatherings, gifts, and joyful recognitions from loved ones
3. A special day observed annually to commemorate the date of an individual's birth, often featuring parties, gifts, and expressions of affection from friends and family

Etymology: The celebration is older than the word. Old English speakers had a native term, "ġebyrddæġ," built from "ġebyrd" (birth) and "dæġ" (day), and it survived into Middle English as "birthdai." For centuries, though, English also had a rival: "nativitee," borrowed from Old French "nativité" and ultimately from Latin "nātīvitas," which meant birth, nativity, or birthday. The native compound eventually won out, so the everyday word is one of the few English terms for a personal anniversary that has nothing Latin in it at all. The compound's shape is shared across the Germanic languages. German has "Geburtstag," Dutch "geboortedag," and Norwegian "bursdag," all built from the same pattern of birth plus day. The Old English form was also shaped by influence from Old Norse "burðr," meaning birth, which reinforced the spelling and sound of the first element as the word developed.

Synonyms: anniversary, celebration, nativity