Borne of or borne from?

September 19, 2004 5:15 PM

I have a grammar question and google is yielding answers for both results (which makes me think that it's a common mistake): Is it "borne of" or "borne from" as in "laws are borne of/from ideals?"
posted by AwkwardPause to Writing & Language (8 answers total)

"born of."

"borne" means carried. "born" means, well, born.
posted by kindall at 5:17 PM on September 19, 2004

i've only ever heard borne/born of too.
posted by amberglow at 5:40 PM on September 19, 2004

Ditto: "borne of"
posted by davidmsc at 5:41 PM on September 19, 2004

kindall: Usage Note: Thanks to the vagaries of English spelling, bear has two past participles: born and borne. Traditionally, born is used only in passive constructions referring to birth: I was born in Chicago. For all other uses, including active constructions referring to birth, borne is the standard form: She has borne both her children at home. I have borne his insolence with the patience of a saint.

In any case, both of/from yield Google results (as you'd mentioned), but "of" sports almost twice the results of "from".
posted by rafter at 5:52 PM on September 19, 2004

The injured squirrel was borne from the battlefield.

My unfocused rage was born of a lifetime spent abusing cottage cheese.

kindall is on it like momma cass on a ham sammich.

on preview, now i'm not so sure...
posted by sciurus at 5:53 PM on September 19, 2004

I'm still right: when you're talking about where something came from (e.g. "laws are born of ideas"), the analogy is to childbirth, so you use "born."

Imation's initial slogan ("Borne of 3M Innovation") thus really bugged me. Here is the branding firm responsible for that one.
posted by kindall at 6:31 PM on September 19, 2004

Response by poster: Thank you, all. Born of, it is.
posted by AwkwardPause at 7:02 PM on September 19, 2004

another vote for born of
posted by rorycberger at 9:39 AM on September 20, 2004