birthday

SayBURTH-day/ˈbɝθˌdeɪ//ˈbɜːθ.deɪ/

3 meanings of birthday

1
anniversarynouncountable
The yearly anniversary of the day a person was born or something was founded, or the celebration held to mark it.
She invited twenty friends to celebrate her thirtieth birthday.
On his birthday, the whole family gathered at the restaurant for dinner.
UsageUse on: on my birthday (not ~~incorrect: in my birthday~~). A present is for someone's birthday.
Note
Because it counts from a fixed point, English numbers it with ordinals, as Dickens does with Oliver Twist's ninth birthday in 1837.
2
date of birthnouncountable
The calendar date on which a person was born or something was created, more commonly called a birthdate or date of birth.
The nurse recorded the baby's birthday in the hospital register.
His official documents list a birthday in early March.
UsageOn forms and documents, date of birth or birthdate is more usual; birthday alone usually means the yearly day.
Similarbirthdate
3
verbcolloquialintransitive
To mark and celebrate the anniversary of one's own birth, usually with some kind of festivity.
"So how are we birthdaying this year?" she asked, scrolling through cabin rentals with her best friend.
He'd rather birthday quietly than throw a big bash.
UsageTakes no object: birthday at the lake, birthday quietly. Playful, so in formal writing say celebrate a birthday.

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English birthdai, from Old English ġebyrddæġ ("birthday"), influenced by Old Norse burðr, and equivalent to birth + day. It won out over Middle English nativitee, which came from Old French nativité and ultimately Latin nātīvitas.