breath
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- breth (obsolete)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English breeth, breth, from Old English brǣþ (“odor, scent, stink, exhalation, vapor”), from Proto-Germanic *brēþiz (“vapour, waft, exhalation, breath”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrē-t- (“exhalation from heat; steam”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to seethe, toss about, cook”). Cognate with Scots breth, breith (“breath”), German Brodem (“steam, vapour, fume, odour”). Related also to Icelandic bráður (“hasty, hurried, excited, rash”). More at brath.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
breath (countable and uncountable; plural breaths)
- (uncountable) The act or process of breathing.
- I could hear the breath of the runner behind me.
- The child's breath came quickly and unevenly.
- 1907, Robert Chambers, chapter 5, The Younger Set[1]:
- Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume ; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of rose-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees ; … .
- (countable) A single act of breathing in or out.
- I took a deep breath and started the test.
- (uncountable) Air expelled from the lungs.
- I could feel the runner's breath on my shoulder.
- (countable) A rest or pause.
- Let's stop for a breath when we get to the top of the hill.
- a small amount of something, such as wind, or common sense
- Even with all the windows open, there is hardly a breath of air in here.
- If she had a breath of common sense, she would never have spoken to the man in the first place.
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from breath
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
act or process of breathing
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a single act of breathing in and out
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air expelled from the lungs
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a rest or pause
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
See also[edit]
Statistics[edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: sorry · share · working · #988: breath · camp · prove · engaged
