noun / adjective
birthday
BURTH-day/ˈbɜːrθdeɪ/
The yearly anniversary of a person's birth or something's beginning.
The girl celebrates her birthday by blowing out candles beside family and a friend.
Etymology
The “birth” and “day” compound already meant an anniversary or celebration of someone’s birth in Old English, especially a king’s or saint’s. The selected meaning continues that commemorative use.
In context
he insists, he absolutely demands that this woman be invited to her own 21st birthday party.
More examples
- My birthday falls in October.
- We remembered the museum's hundredth birthday.
- Several birthday cards stood on the mantel.
Forms
birthday · birthdays