BIRTH

Birth

Birth, also known as parturition, is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the foetus at a developmental stage where it can feed and breathe. In some species the offspring is precocial and can move around almost immediately after birth but in others it is altricial and completely dependent on parenting. In marsupials, the foetus is born at a very immature stage after a short gestational period and develops further in its mother's pouch.

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Birth
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

birth

Noun

  1. The process of childbearing; the beginning of life.
  2. An instance of childbirth.
    Intersex babies account for roughly one per cent of all births.
  3. A beginning or start; a point of origin.
    the birth of an empire
  4. The circumstances of one's background, ancestry, or upbringing.
    He was of noble birth, but fortune had not favored him.
  5. That which is born.

Verb

  1. To bear or give birth to (a child).
  2. To produce, give rise to.

Adjective

  1. A familial relationship established by childbirth.
    Her birth father left when she was a baby; she was raised by her mother and stepfather.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: birth
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!