Where does “birthweight” come from?
Birthweight derives from Middle English wight and Old English byrþen, which trace through Old French bourde to Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- and bʰer-, both meaning to carry or bear.
birthweight (English): The amount that a baby weighs at the time of...
Definitions
- The amount that a baby weighs at the time of...
Ancestry of “birthweight”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | birth | The process of childbearing; the beginning of... |
| 2 | Middle English | birthen | — |
| 3 | Old English | byrþen | burden |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | burþini | burden |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | burþī | burden |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burþį̄ | burden |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |