breathe
Etymology
Synonyms
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Etymology
From Middle English brethen, derived from Middle English breth.
Pronunciation Verbbreathe (breathes, present participle breathing; simple past and past participle breathed)
- (intransitive) To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
- (intransitive) To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
- Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
- (transitive) To inhale (a gas) to sustain life.
- While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.
- (intransitive, figurative) To live.
- I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe.
- 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene i]:
- I am in health, I breathe.
- 1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC ↗:
- Breathes there a man with soul so dead?
- (transitive) To draw something into the lungs.
- Try not to breathe too much smoke.
- (intransitive) To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
- If you breathe on a mirror, it will fog up.
- (transitive) To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath.
- The flowers breathed a heady perfume.
- (transitive) To give an impression of, to exude.
- The decor positively breathes classical elegance.
- (transitive) To whisper quietly.
- He breathed the words into her ear, but she understood them all.
- To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate; to blow gently.
- The wind breathes through the trees.
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene i]:
- The air breathes upon us here most sweetly.
- 1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: Printed for John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC ↗, (please specify the stanza number):
- There breathes a living fragrance from the shore.
- (chiefly, Evangelical and Charismatic Christianity, with God as agent) To inspire (scripture).
- 1850, John Howard Hinton, On the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures. A lecture, etc, page 16:
- The affirmation before us, then, will be, "All scripture is divinely breathed."
- 1917, J. C. Ferdinand Pittman, Bible Truths Illustrated: For the Use of Preachers, Teachers, Bible-school, Christian Endeavor, Temperance and Other Christian Workers, page 168:
- […] that God, who breathed the Scriptures, "cannot lie," […]
- (intransitive) To exchange gases with the environment.
- Garments made of certain new materials breathe well and keep the skin relatively dry during exercise.
- (intransitive, now, rare) To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “[https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:12.64?rgn=div2;view=fulltext lxiiij]”, in Le Morte Darthur, book X:
- Thenne they lasshed to gyder many sad strokes / & tracyd and trauercyd now bakward / now sydelyng hurtlyng to gyders lyke two bores / & that same tyme they felle both grouelyng to the erthe / Thus they fought styll withoute ony reposynge two houres and neuer brethed
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene 4]:
- Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again!
- (transitive) To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
- At higher altitudes you need to breathe your horse more often.
- (transitive) To exercise; to tire by brisk exercise.
- (transitive, figurative) To passionately devote much of one's life to (an activity, etc.).
- ―Do you like hiking? ―Are you kidding? I breathe hiking.
Conjugation of breathe
infinitive | (to) breathe | ||
---|---|---|---|
present tense | past tense | ||
1st-person singular | breathe | breathed | |
2nd-person singular | breathe, breathest† | breathed, breathedst† | |
3rd-person singular | breathes, breatheth† | breathed | |
plural | breathe | ||
subjunctive | breathe | breathed | |
imperative | breathe | — | |
participles | breathing | breathed |
†Archaic or obsolete.
- (to draw air in and out) see Thesaurus:breathe
- (to be passionate about) live and breathe
- French: respirer, inspirer, expirer
- German: atmen
- Italian: respirare
- Portuguese: respirar
- Russian: дыша́ть
- Spanish: respirar
- Russian: дыша́ть
- Russian: выдыха́ть
- Russian: дыша́ть
- Russian: дыша́ть
- Russian: ве́ять
- French: reprendre son souffle
- Portuguese: respirar, resfolegar
- Russian: перевести дух
- Russian: дать передышку
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
