Dictionary

birthright en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɝθ.ɹaɪt/ (General-American)
• /ˈbɜːθ.ɹaɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From birth + right. Compare West Frisian berterjocht (“birthright”), Dutch geboorterecht (“birthright”), German Geburtsrecht (“birthright”). Compare also Icelandic frumburðarréttur (“birthright”).

Meanings

1. Something a person is entitled to due to the circumstances of their birth, such as an inheritance or citizenship.
   • Though it's the birthright of man to unify and live his life as one / A whisper of the word will let you soar with your soul 1973, “California Saga (The Beaks Of Eagles)”, in Robinson Jeffers (lyrics), Holland, performed by The Beach Boys:
   • Freedom of speech is our birthright.
   • Not only has suburban life separated the great concentrated masses of our people from their birthright of meadows, fields and woods; of Nature, in her untamed splendour and mystery, most of them have never had so much as a momentary glimpse. 1922, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, The Old English Herbals, London: Longmans, Green and Co., page 13:
   • For one, it clearly states that American citizenship is a birthright for all people who are born on American soil — something that President Donald Trump has announced he wants to end. 2025 January 21, AJ Willingham, “What the 14th Amendment says about birthright citizenship”, in CNN:
   • But a practically solo sequence of Dany walking through her old empty house without saying anything for minutes on end is, let’s say, a lot to ask of Emilia Clarke. She’s back at Dragonstone to reclaim her birthright, the seven or so kingdoms. 2017 July 16, Brandon Nowalk, “Chickens and dragons come home to roost on Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 25 Jul 2017:

Forms

Deriveds

birthright citizen · sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage · birthright citizenship

Translations (14)

pl przyrodzone prawo (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · io senioryuro (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · ee ŋgɔgbevinyenye (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · ja 生得権 (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · de Geburtsrecht (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · gd còir-bhreith (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · io naskoyuro (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · sq e drejtë e lindjes (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · io naskala yuro (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · it diritto di nascita (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · gd dual (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · fi syntymäoikeus (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · cmn 傳家寶 /传家宝 (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance) · ta பிறப்புரிமை (something that is owed since birth, due to inheritance)