Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “birthday” come from?

Birthday comes from Middle English birthdai, from Old English ġebyrddæġ, a compound of ġe- (prefix) and byrddæġ (day of birth).

birthday (English): The anniversary of the day on which someone is...

Definitions

  1. The anniversary of the day on which someone is...

Ancestry of “birthday”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbirthdai—
2Old Englishġebyrddæġbirthday

Words derived from “birthday”

  • unbirthday
  • birthdayish
  • half birthday
  • birthdayless
  • pörttei
Every word from Old English ġebyrddæġ →