Also 6–7 byrth, 6–9 birth. [A nautical term of uncertain origin: found first in end of 16th c. Most probably a derivative of BEAR v. in some of its senses: see esp. sense 37, quot. 1627, which suggests that berth is = ‘bearing off, room-way made by bearing-off’; cf. also bear off in 26 b. The early spellings byrth, birth, coincide with those of BIRTH ‘bearing of offspring, bringing forth,’ but it is very doubtful whether the nautical use can go back to a time when that word had the general sense ‘bearing’; it looks more like a new formation on bear, without reference to the existing birth.
(Of other derivations suggested, an OE. *beorʓþ, *beorhþ ‘protection, defence, shelter’ (see BARTH), and Icel. byrði ‘the board, i.e., side of a ship’ (see BERTH v.2), do not well account for the original sense ‘sea-room.’ The sense is perhaps better explained by supposing berth to be a transposition of north. dial. breith = breadth; but of this historical evidence is entirely wanting.)]
1. Naut. ‘Convenient sea-room, or a fit distance for ships under sail to keep clear, so as not to fall foul on one another’ (Bailey, 1730), or run upon the shore, rocks, etc. Now, chiefly in phrases, To give a good, clear, or (usually since 1800) wide berth to, keep a wide berth of: to keep well away from, steer quite clear of. Also transf. and fig.
1622. R. Hawkins, Voy. S. Sea (1847), 117. There lyeth a poynt of the shore a good byrth off, which is dangerous.
1626. Capt. Smith, Accid. Yng. Seamen, 24. Watch bee vigilant to keepe your berth to windward. Ibid. (1627), Seaman’s Gram., xiii. 60. Run a good berth ahead of him.
1740. Woodroofe, in Hanway, Trav. (1762), I. 274. It is necessary to give the … bank a good birth.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 193. Giving the Lighthouse a clear birth of 50 fathoms to the southward.
1829. Scott, Demonol., x. 383. Giving the apparent phantom what seamen call a wide berth.
1854. Thackeray, Newcomes, II. 150. I recommend you to keep a wide berth of me, sir.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., I. I. 17. To keep the open sea And give to warring lands a full wide berth.
2. Naut. ‘Convenient sea-room for a ship that rides at anchor’ (Phillips, 1706); ‘sufficient space wherein a ship may swing round at the length of her moorings’ (Falconer).
1658. Phillips, Berth, convenient room at Sea to moor a Ship in.
1692. Capt. Smith’s Seaman’s Gram., I. xvi. 75. A Birth, a convenient space to moor a Ship in.
1696. [Phillips has both Berth as in 1658 and Birth as in Smith.]
1721. Bailey, Birth and Berth [as above].
1769–89. Falconer, Dict. Marine, Evitee, a birth [expl. as above].
1781. Westm. Mag., IX. 327. Perceiving neither the Isis nor Diana making any signs to follow, though both of them lay in clear births for so doing [cf. clear berth in 1].
1854. G. B. Richardson, Univ. Code, v. (ed. 12), 423. You have given our ship a foul berth, or brought up in our hawse.
1858. in Merc. Mar. Mag., V. 226. The ship … may … choose her anchorage by giving either shore a berth of a couple of cables’ length.
3. Hence, ‘A convenient place to moor a ship in’ (Phillips); the place where a ship lies when at anchor or at a wharf.
1706. Phillips, Birth and Berth [see above].
1731. Bailey, Birth and Berth [as in Phillips].
1754. Fielding, Voy. Lisbon, Wks. 1882, VII. 115. It seemed to require a full hour or more, before we could come to our former place of anchoring, or berth, as the captain called it.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 266. We let go an anchor and warped the buss to her proper birth.
1801. Nelson, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), IV. 366. That the squadron may be anchored in a good berth.
1879. E. J. Castle, Law of Rating, 75. Certain berths for the use of steamers.
4. Naut. ‘A proper place on board a ship for a mess to put their chests, etc.’ (Phillips); whence, ‘The room or apartment where any number of the officers, or ship’s company, mess and reside’ (Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk.).
1706. Phillips, s.v. Birth, Also the proper Place a-board for a Mess to put their Chests, &c., is call’d the Birth of that Mess.
1748. Smollett, Rod. Rand., xxiv. (Rtldg.), 63. When he had shown me their berth (as he called it) I was filled with astonishment and horror.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, x. 30. The first day in which he had entered the midshipmen’s berth, and was made acquainted with his messmates.
b. fig. (Naut.) Proper place (for a thing).
1732. De Foe, etc., Tour Gt. Brit. (1769), I. 147. For the squaring and cutting out of every Piece, and placing it in its proper Byrth (so they call it) in the Ship that is in Building.
1758. J. Blake, Mar. Syst., 6. A hammock … shall be delivered him, and a birth assigned to hang it in.
c. transf. An allotted or assigned place in a barracks; a ‘place’ allotted in a coach or conveyance.
c. 1813. Mrs. Sherwood, Stories Ch. Catech., xiv. 115. Fanny Bell’s berth was in one corner of the barracks. Ibid., 116. Kitty Spence was in her berth, playing at cards with her husband and two other men.
1816. Scott, Antiq., i. The first comer hastens to secure the best berth in the coach.
5. Naut. A situation or office on board a ship, or (in sailors’ phrase) elsewhere.
1720. De Foe, Capt. Singleton, x. (Bohn), 130. Going to Barbadoes to get a birth, as the sailors call it.
1755. Magens, Insurances, II. 115. When Sailors … are discharged in foreign Parts, and do not meet with another Birth there.
1840. R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, xxii. 65. I wished … to qualify myself for an officer’s berth. Ibid., xxviii. 97. He left us to take the berth of second mate on board the Ayacucho.
1876. C. Geikie, Life in Woods, x. 177. He hoped to get a good berth on one of the small lake steamers.
b. transf. A situation, a place, an appointment. (Usually a ‘good’ or ‘comfortable’ one.)
1778. Miss Burney, Evelina, xvi. (1784), 103. You have a good warm birth here.
1781. Mrs. Delany, Corr. (1860), III. 51. I think I could find out a berth (the sea-phrase) for a chaplain.
1788. T. Jefferson, Corr. (1830), 412. Both will prefer their present births.
1850. Mrs. Stowe, Uncle Tom, iv. 26. I’ll do the very best I can in gettin’ Tom a good berth.
6. Naut. A sleeping-place in a ship; a long box or shelf on the side of the cabin for sleeping.
1796. T. Jefferson, Corr. (1830), 339. Better pleased with sound sleep and a warmer birth below it.
1809. Byron, Lines to Hodgson, iii. Passengers their berths are clapt in.
1842. T. Martin, My Namesake, in Fraser’s Mag., Dec., 650/2. I … was just in time to secure the only sleeping-berth in the Clarence steam-packet that was left untaken.
b. A sleeping-place of the same kind in a railway carriage or elsewhere.
1885. S. Baxter, in Harper’s Mag., April, 698/2. The traveller bound down the valley now goes to sleep in his Pullman berth shortly after leaving Albuquerque.
1885. Weekly Times, 2 Oct., 14/2. In the kitchens … are a couple of berths reached by a ladder.
7. Comb. berth-boards, ? the partitions dividing berths in a ship; berth-deck, the deck on which the passengers’ berths are arranged; berth and space (see quot.).
1833. T. Richardson, Merc. Mar. Archit., 7. The distance from the moulding edge of one floor to the moulding edge of the next floor is called the birth and space, and is the room occupied by two timbers, the floor, and the first futtock.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxvi. (1856), 213. This condensation is now very troublesome, sweating over the roof and berth-boards.
1856. Olmsted, Slave States, 550. Scattering the passengers on the berth deck.
