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berth (bûrth)
Share:
n.
1. Sufficient space for a vessel to maneuver; sea room: kept a clear berth of the reefs.
2. A space for a vessel to dock or anchor: a steamship moored to its berth at the pier.
3.
a. Employment on a vessel: sought an officer's berth in the merchant marine.
b. A job: a comfortable berth as head of the department.
4.
a. A built-in bed or bunk, as on a ship or a train.
b. A place to sleep or stay; accommodations: found a berth in a nearby hotel.
5. A space where a vehicle can be parked, as for loading.
v. berthed, berth·ing, berths
v.tr.
1. To bring (a vessel) to a berth.
2. To provide with a berth.
v.intr.
To come to a berth; dock.
Idiom:
a wide berth
Ample space or distance to avoid an unwanted consequence: gave their angry colleague a wide berth.

[Middle English birth; perhaps akin to beren, to bear; see BEAR1.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.