birthnight

[ burth-nahyt ]

noun

1. the night of a person's birth, especially a birthday celebration for royalty.
2. the anniversary of such a date.
3. the celebration of a royal birthday.

Word History and Origins

Origin of birthnight¹

First recorded in 1620–30; birth + night

Example Sentences

The angelic song in Bethlehem field, On thy birthnight, that sung thee Savior born.

From Project Gutenberg

By the gift of a birthnight fan which she had never carried; and the arrangement of a party to which she had not gone.

From Project Gutenberg

The seeress looked down solemnly into the dark, piquant little face upturned so gravely to her own; into the wicked brown eyes, twinkling and glittering with such insufferable mischief and mirth; and, bending her tall body down, she again chanted, in her dreary tone: "Thou wast doomed from thy birth, oh, ill-fated child; Like thy birthnight, thy life shall be stormy and wild; There is blood on thine hand, there is death in thine eye, And the one who best loves thee, by thee shall he die!"

From Project Gutenberg

Knights gather, riding sharp for cold; I know The ways and woods are strangled with the snow; And with short song the maidens spin and sit Until Christ's birthnight, lily-like, arow.

From Project Gutenberg

Corky Palmer leads the three-class series in preparation for the George Washington Birthnight Banquet and Ball on Feb. 13.

From Washington Post