Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Dead at birth.
  • adjective Failing before or at the very beginning or inception; abortive.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Dead at birth; born lifeless: as, a still-born child.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Dead at the birth.
  • adjective Fig.: Abortive.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Dead at birth.
  • adjective figuratively, by extension Ignored, without influence, or unsuccessful from the outset; abortive.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (of newborn infant) showing no signs of life at birth; not liveborn
  • adjective failing to accomplish an intended result

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First attested 1597, from English still + born.

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