Birthday
/ˈbɜːrθ.deɪ/noun
The anniversary of the day on which a person was born.
Did you know?Ancient Egyptians and Greeks celebrated divine birthdays, while the modern English compound simply joins “birth” and “day” to mark a person’s annual life anniversary.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰer-
“To carry or bear; the ancient root later associated with birth and bearing offspring.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*beraną
“To carry or bear, developing into Germanic words connected with bearing and birth.”
Old English
Old English
byrþ
“Birth, bringing forth, or the act of being born.”
Old English
Old English
dæg
“Day, the period of daylight or a complete daily cycle.”
Middle English
Middle English
birth-day
“The day on which someone was born; an anniversary of birth.”
Modern English
English
birthday
“The annual anniversary of a person’s birth.”