A feminine noun denoting the process of bringing something into existence. Its primary reference is to biological birth—the act of engendering or being born. This encompasses both the begetting action (from the parent's perspective) and the birth event itself (from the offspring's perspective). The word extends metaphorically to the production of good things or other abstractions, maintaining the core sense of something being brought forth or generated. New Testament usage focuses on the birth meaning, while classical texts employ it more broadly for any kind of production or generation.