misbirth

M3I1S1B3I1R1T1H4

noun

A miscarriage; also, a miscarried foetus, a stillborn baby.

First used 17th c.Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounmisbirth (plural misbirths)

plural misbirths

  1. archaicA miscarriage; also, a miscarried foetus, a stillborn baby.First known use 17th c.

    What has she in the bag? A misbirth with a trailing navelcord, hushed in ruddy wool.

    1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 3: Proteus]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part I [Telemachia], page 38

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
abortion

Origin

From mis- + birth. Compare Old English misbyrd, which is unlikely to be a direct etymon.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

misbirth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misbirth

MLA

“misbirth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misbirth. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “misbirth,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/misbirth.

Source: misbirth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.