# birthday
## English
### Alternative forms

* birth-day (archaic)

### Etymology

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”). Replaced non-native Middle English nativitee (“birth, nativity, birthday”), from Old French nativité, nativited, from Latin nātīvitas.

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˈbɜːθ.deɪ/
* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈbɜːθ.di/
* Audio (UK):(file)
* (US, Canada) enPR: bûrthʹdā', IPA: /ˈbɝθˌdeɪ/
* Audio (US):(file)
* (South Asia) IPA: /bɜː(ɾ)(t̪).ɖej/
* Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)θdeɪ, -ɜːθdɪ

### Noun

birthday (plural birthdays)
* The anniversary of the day on which someone is born. [From 1570s]
    When's your birthday? Mine's on April 1.
** 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], chapter 2, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:Oliver Twist's ninth birthday found him a pale thin child, somewhat diminutive in stature, and decidedly small in circumference.
** 1903, L. Frank Baum, The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People, The Fifth Surprise: The Monarch Celebrates His Birthday,
    One of the Wise Men said the King was born in February; another declared it was in May, and a third figured the great event happened in October. So the King issued a royal decree that he should have three birthdays every year, in order to be on the safe side; and whenever he happened to think of it he put in an odd birthday or two for luck.
** 1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, Chapter 9: The pride of Perks,
    "And we thought we'd make a nice birthday for him. He's been so awfully jolly decent to us, you know, Mother," said Peter, "and we agreed that next bun-day we'd ask you if we could."
** c. 1911, Cotton Mather, Worthington Chauncey Ford (editor), Diary of Cotton Mather, Volume 1: 1681-1708, footnote, page 1,
    It was his custom to begin a new year's record on February 12, his birthday.
** 1921 June 4, “Birthday Honours — Companions of Honour”, in The Times:The King's Birthday, which occurred yesterday, will be officially observed to-day, and the customary list of honours conferred on the occasion is published.
* The anniversary of the day on which something is created.
* The date on which someone is born or something is created, more commonly called birthdate or date of birth.
* A birthday party.
    I'd like to invite you all to my birthday.

#### Derived terms

* birfday
* birthaversary
* birthday attack
* birthday blues
* birthday book
* birthday boy
* birthday buddy
* birthday bump
* birthday cake
* birthday card
* birthday effect
* birthday girl
* birthday honour
* birthdayish
* birthdayless
* birthday noodle
* birthday paradox
* birthday problem
* birthday-suit
* birthday suit
* birthday-suited
* birthday suited
* birthday suiter
* birthday twin
* golden birthday
* half-birthday
* half birthday
* happy birthday
* heavenly birthday
* Queen's Birthday
* rebirthday
* unbirthday

#### Translations
### Verb

birthday (third-person singular simple present birthdays, present participle birthdaying, simple past and past participle birthdayed)
* (intransitive, informal) To celebrate one's birthday.

### See also

* deathday
* name day

### Anagrams

* tharybid