birth-control
|birth-con-trol|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɝθ.kənˌtroʊl/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɜːθ.kənˌtrəʊl/
control of births (preventing or limiting pregnancies)
Etymology
'birth-control' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'birth' and 'control'; 'birth' comes from Old English (e.g. 'gebyrd'/'byrð') meaning 'a being born', and 'control' ultimately comes from Medieval Latin 'contrarotulus' (via Old French 'contre-rolle'), where 'contra-' meant 'against' and 'rotulus' meant 'little roll/register'.
'control' passed from Medieval Latin 'contrarotulus' into Old French as 'contre-rolle' (a duplicate or counter-roll used to check accounts), then into Middle English as 'contre(·)rolle'/'control', and later developed the broader sense of 'to restrain or regulate'. The compound 'birth-control' arose in English in the late 19th to early 20th century as discussions of contraception and family planning became more prominent.
Initially the components referred separately to 'birth' (the event of being born) and 'control' (to regulate or check). Over time the compound came to mean specifically the set of methods and policies used to prevent or limit pregnancies (contraception), a narrower and specialized sense compared with general 'control'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
methods, devices, or practices used to prevent pregnancy; contraception.
Many couples rely on birth-control to plan the timing and size of their families.
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Noun 2
the practice, policy, or movement of limiting or regulating the number of births (e.g., public policies or social practices aimed at reducing birth rates).
The government introduced birth-control measures to address rapid population growth.
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Last updated: 2025/10/22 09:20