A birthright is a privilege, possession, or position someone receives simply because of who they are when they're born. In many monarchies, the oldest child has a birthright to inherit the throne: they don't earn this right through hard work or competition; it's theirs automatically because of their birth order.

The term comes from older societies where your family determined much of your future. A blacksmith's son might inherit his father's forge and tools as his birthright. A noble's daughter might have a birthright to certain lands or titles.

In the Bible, there's a famous story about twin brothers Esau and Jacob. Esau was born first, giving him the birthright to lead the family and receive a double portion of his father's wealth. But he traded this birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew when he was hungry, showing how someone can foolishly give away something precious.

Today, people sometimes use birthright more broadly to mean basic rights everyone should have. Someone might say that freedom and education are the birthright of every child, meaning these things should belong to all children simply because they're human beings, not because they've earned them or come from a particular family.

The word reminds us that some valuable things come from circumstances beyond our control, whether that's a family business, a leadership role, or the simple dignity that belongs to every person.