Born dead; describing a baby that was dead at birth, or metaphorically, a plan or idea that fails from the start.
From 'still' (motionless, from Old English 'stille') plus 'born.' The compound appeared in English by the 16th century.
The phrase 'stillborn' is used metaphorically for failed projects or ideas that 'die at birth'—and interestingly, this metaphorical usage appeared in English literature centuries before the modern focus on project management.
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