Yesterday was my honey’s birthday, so I thought I’d take a look-see at the word and see if it’s as old as I assume it is.

The answer? Mostly. 😉 The Old English form byrddæg meant an annual celebration of one’s birth, but was used mostly for saints and kings. It wasn’t extended to the general populace’s birthdays until the late 16th century.


More interesting, is that “birthday suit” has been used as a way of saying someone has no clothes on since since the 1730s for sure, and probably earlier. Who knew? I always thought that was a modern convention, but I guess not.


Also fascinating is record of “birthnight” instead of “birthday,” appearing in the early 1600s.  Which is, I suppose, what my daughter would have, as she was born at 9 p.m. 😉 I never would have thought to make the distinction.


And there we have it, all in honor of my fabulous hubby, whose birthday yesterday was a ton of fun. Have a great week, everybody!