Old English beran "to carry, bring; bring forth, give birth to, produce; to endure without resistance; to support, hold up, sustain; to wear" (class IV strong verb; past tense bær, past participle boren), from Proto-Germanic *beranan (source also of Old Saxon beran, Old Frisian bera "bear, give birth," Middle Dutch beren "carry a child," Old High German beran, German gebären, Old Norse bera "carry, bring, bear, endure; give birth," Gothic bairan "to carry, bear, give birth to"), from PIE root *bher- (1) "carry a burden, bring," also "give birth" (though only English and German strongly retain this sense, and Russian has beremennaya "pregnant").

The Old English past tense bær became Middle English bare; the alternative bore began to appear c. 1400, but bare remained the literary form till after 1600. Past-participle distinction of borne for "carried" and born for "given birth" is from late 18c.

Many senses are from the notion of "move onward by pressure." To bear down "proceed forcefully toward" (especially in nautical use) is from 1716. The verb is attested from c. 1300 as "possess as an attribute or characteristic." The meaning "sustain without sinking" is from 1520s; to bear (something) in mind is from 1530s; the meaning "tend, be directed" (in a certain way) is from c. 1600. To bear up is from 1650s as "be firm, have fortitude."

"carried, sustained, endured," past tense and participle of bear (v.) in all senses not related to birth. See born.

"that has been killed," early 13c., from Old English (ge)slegen, past participle of slean "to smite, strike, beat" (see slay (v.)). The noun meaning "those who have been slain" is attested from mid-14c.

"while being born," 1893, American English; see a- (1) + born + -ing (2).

"first in order of birth," as a noun, "first-born child," mid-14c., from first (adj.) + born.

"inheriting liberty," mid-14c., from free (adj.) + born. Old English had freolic (adj.) "free, free-born; glorious, magnificent, noble; beautiful, charming," which became Middle English freli, "a stock epithet of compliment," but which died out, perhaps as the form merged with that of freely (adv.).

also highborn, "of noble birth," c. 1300, from high (adv.) + born.

Old English inboren "native to a place, indigenous, aboriginal," from in (prep.) "within" + boren "brought forth" (see born). Of personal qualities, "innate, implanted by nature," 1510s.

"abortive, premature, mis-shapen from birth," late Old English misboren "abortive, degenerate," from mis- (1) "badly, wrongly" + born. From 1580s as "born of an unlawful union."

"so by nature, born so," 1580s, from natural (adj.) + born.