Added 9 October 2026
birthday
/ˈbɜːθ.deɪ/ noun
In Latin: nātālis Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about birthday at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it).
- The date on which a person was born.
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)