birth
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birth / beginning
The point in time when something new and significant emerges or begins. Usually used figuratively for the emergence of ideas, movements, inventions, or eras.
Die Entwicklung des Internets war die Geburtsstunde eines neuen Zeitalters der Kommunikation.
The development of the internet was the birth of a new age of communication.
hour of birth
The exact hour in which a person is born. This literal meaning is very rare today and is usually used only in poetic or specialized contexts, such as astrology.
Für das Horoskop benötigte der Astrologe die genaue Geburtsstunde.
For the horoscope, the astrologer needed the exact hour of birth.
The word is clearly composed of 'die Geburt' (birth) and 'die Stunde' (hour). Its literal meaning is therefore the hour in which someone is born.
Die Erfindung des Buchdrucks gilt als die Geburtsstunde der Massenmedien.
The invention of printing is considered the birth of mass media.
The figurative meaning for the beginning of something new is far more common today than the literal meaning. When you hear or read the word, it almost always means the beginning of an era, idea, or invention.
Der Fall der Berliner Mauer war die Geburtsstunde eines neuen Europas.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was the birth of a new Europe.
To say what it is the 'Geburtsstunde' (birth/beginning) of, the genitive or the preposition 'von' (of/from) with the dative is usually used. Both are correct.
Wir erlebten die Geburtsstunde der modernen Robotik.
We experienced the birth of modern robotics.
beginning
Beginn neutrally refers to the temporal start of something. Geburtsstunde can also refer to a beginning, but presents it figuratively as the moment when something new and significant comes into being. Choose Beginn for a factual time reference and Geburtsstunde for a particularly important origin.
Die große Demonstration gilt als Geburtsstunde der Umweltbewegung.
The large demonstration is considered the birth of the environmental movement.
Der Beginn der Umweltbewegung wird auf die frühen siebziger Jahre datiert.
The beginning of the environmental movement is dated to the early 1970s.
