From Middle English breeth , breth , from Old English brǣþ ( “ odor, scent, stink, exhalation, vapor ” ) , from Proto-Germanic *brēþiz ( “ vapour, waft, exhalation, breath ” ) (compare German Brodem ( “ haze, vapor; breath ” ) , of a different but related formation), of unknown origin; perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gʰwer- ( “ smell ” ) [ 1] or alternatively from *bʰreh₁- ( “ to blow; breath, vapor, steam ” ) , but without certain Indo-European cognates outside Germanic.[ 2]
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 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers , “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set , New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company , →OCLC , page 168 :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 mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.
( countable ) A single act of breathing in or out; a breathing of air.
I took a deep breath and started the test.
1910 , Emerson Hough , chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise , Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company , →OCLC :Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. [ …] She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat.
2012 , John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Time [1] :She knew from avalanche safety courses that outstretched hands might puncture the ice surface and alert rescuers. She knew that if victims ended up buried under the snow, cupped hands in front of the face could provide a small pocket of air for the mouth and nose. Without it, the first breaths could create a suffocating ice mask.
( 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.
( obsolete ) Fragrance; exhalation; odor; perfume.
( obsolete ) Gentle exercise, causing a quicker respiration.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [ … ] (First Folio ), London: [ … ] Isaac Iaggard , and Ed[ ward] Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , [ Act III, scene i] :an after dinner's breath
act or process of breathing
Afrikaans: asemhaling
Albanian: frymëmarrje (sq)
Arabic: نَفَس (ar) m ( nafas )
Armenian: շնչառություն (hy) ( šnčʻaṙutʻyun )
Assamese: উশাহ ( uxah ) , নিশাহ ( nixah ) , উশাহ-নিশাহ ( uxah-nixah )
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ m ( nāfša )
Azerbaijani: nəfəs (az) , tənəffüs
Baluchi: ساہ ( sáh ) , نپس ( napas )
Belarusian: дыха́нне n ( dyxánnje ) , узды́х m ( uzdýx )
Bengali: দম (bn) ( dom )
Bikol Central: hangos (bcl)
Bulgarian: дишане (bg) n ( dišane )
Catalan: respiració (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 呼吸 (zh) ( hūxī ) , 氣息 / 气息 (zh) ( qìxī )
Czech: dech (cs) m , dýchání (cs) n
Dutch: ademhaling (nl) f
Erzya: лексема ( ľekśema ) , лекстямо ( ľeksťamo ) , оймень таргсема ( ojmeń targśema )
Estonian: please add this translation if you can
Evenki: эрин ( ərin )
Finnish: hengitys (fi)
French: respiration (fr) f
Galician: alento m , respiración (gl) f , folgo m
Georgian: სუნთქვა ( suntkva )
German: Atmen (de) n , Atmung (de) f
Greek: αναπνοή (el) f ( anapnoḯ )
Ancient: πνοή f ( pnoḗ )
Hebrew: נְשִׁימָה (he) f ( n'shimá )
Hindi: श्वास (hi) f ( śvās ) , साँस (hi) f ( sā̃s ) , दम (hi) m ( dam )
Hungarian: légzés (hu)
Icelandic: andi (is) m
Indonesian: napas (id)
Irish: anáil f
Italian: respiro (it) m , lena (it) f
Japanese: 呼吸 (ja) ( こきゅう, kokyū )
Korean: 숨 (ko) ( sum ) , 호흡(呼吸) (ko) ( hoheup )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھەناسە ( henase )
Northern Kurdish: henase (ku) f , nefes (ku) f , bêhn (ku) f , hilm (ku) f
Kyrgyz: дем алуу (ky) ( dem aluu ) , дем тартуу (ky) ( dem tartuu ) , дем (ky) ( dem ) , ичке дем тартуу ( icke dem tartuu ) , өмүр (ky) ( ömür ) , тиричилик (ky) ( tiricilik ) , болмуш (ky) ( bolmuş ) , жашоо (ky) ( jaşoo ) , турмуш (ky) ( turmuş ) , желдөө (ky) ( jeldöö ) , рух (ky) ( ruh )
Latgalian: dvašuot
Latin: spiritus m
Latvian: elpošana f , dvašošana f
Lithuanian: kvėpavimas m
Luxembourgish: Ootmung f
Macedonian: дишење n ( dišenje )
Malay: nafas (ms)
Manchu: ᡝᡵᡤᡝᠨ ( ergen )
Manx: ennal f
Maori: manawa
Marathi: श्वास m ( śvās )
Nanai: эриэн ( erien )
Norwegian:
Bokmål: pust m
Nynorsk: pust m
Occitan: respiracion (oc) f
Odia: ପ୍ରାଣ (or) ( prāṇa )
Old Czech: dech m
Old English: ǣþm m
Oromo: hafuura
Ottoman Turkish: صولوق ( soluk ) , نفس ( nefes ) , دم ( dam )
Persian: نفس (fa) ( nafas ) , دم (fa) ( dam )
Plautdietsch: Odem m
Polish: oddech (pl) m , oddychanie (pl) n
Portuguese: respiração (pt)
Quechua: samay
Romanian: respirație (ro) f
Russian: дыха́ние (ru) n ( dyxánije ) , вздох (ru) m ( vzdox )
Sanskrit: प्राण (sa) m ( prāṇa )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: да̏х m , ди́са̄ње n
Roman: dȁh (sh) m , dísānje (sh) n
Slovak: dýchanie n
Slovene: dih m , dihanje n
Somali: neef (so)
Spanish: respiración (es) f
Swedish: andning (sv) c
Tamil: மூச்சு (ta) ( mūccu )
Tausug: napas
Telugu: శ్వాస (te) ( śvāsa ) , ఊపిరి (te) ( ūpiri )
Tetum: nawan
Turkish: nefes (tr) , soluk (tr)
Tày: ai
Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎔𐎌 ( npš )
Ukrainian: диха́ння n ( dyxánnja ) , дих m ( dyx )
Urdu: دم ( dam ) , سانس ( sans )
Vietnamese: hô hấp (vi) (呼吸 )
Welsh: anadl (cy) m or f
Zazaki: fiq n , nefes n
single act of breathing in and out
Albanian: frymë (sq)
Arabic: نَفَس (ar) m ( nafas )
Armenian: շունչ (hy) ( šunčʻ )
Azerbaijani: nəfəs (az)
Breton: anal (br)
Bulgarian: вдишване (bg) n ( vdišvane ) , издишване n ( izdišvane )
Catalan: alè (ca) m
Czech: dech (cs) , nádech (cs)
Dutch: adem (nl) m , asem (nl) m
Finnish: hengitys (fi) , henkäys (fi)
French: souffle (fr) m , respiration (fr) f
Georgian: ჩასუნთქვა ( časuntkva ) , ამოსუნთქვა ( amosuntkva )
German: Atemzug (de) m
Greek: αναπνοή (el) f ( anapnoḯ )
Ancient: πνοή f ( pnoḗ )
Haitian Creole: souf
Hindi: दम (hi) m ( dam ) , साँस (hi) f ( sā̃s )
Indonesian: napas (id)
Italian: respiro (it) m
Japanese: 呼吸 (ja) ( こきゅう , kokyū) , 息 (ja) ( いき , iki)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھەناسە ( henase )
Macedonian: здив m ( zdiv )
Manx: ennal f
Norwegian:
Bokmål: åndedrag n , andedrag n
Nynorsk: andedrag n
Occitan: alen (oc) m
Old English: ǣþm m
Persian: دم (fa) ( dam )
Plautdietsch: Odem m
Portuguese: respiração (pt) f , respiro (pt) m
Quechua: sama
Romanian: suflu (ro) n
Russian: вздох (ru) m ( vzdox )
Spanish: respiración (es) , aliento (es) m , hálito (es) m
Swedish: andetag (sv) n
Turkish: nefes (tr)
Welsh: anadl (cy) m or f , chwyth (cy) m
air expelled from the lungs
Albanian: frymë (sq)
Amharic: ነፍስ ( näfs )
Armenian: շունչ (hy) ( šunčʻ )
Azerbaijani: nəfəs (az)
Bikol Central: hinangos (bcl)
Bulgarian: дъх (bg) m ( dǎh ) , дихание (bg) n ( dihanie )
Catalan: alè (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 呼吸 (zh) ( hūxī )
Dutch: adem (nl) m , asem (nl) m
Erzya: лекстявкс ( ľeksťavks )
Finnish: hengitys (fi) , uloshengitys (fi)
French: haleine (fr) f , souffle (fr) m
Galician: alento m , folgo m
Gallurese: alènu
Ge'ez: ነፍስ ( näfs )
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: Atem (de) m
Greek: ανάσα (el) f ( anása )
Hebrew: הֶבֶל פֶּה (he) m ( hével pe )
Hungarian: lélegzet (hu) , lehelet (hu)
Indonesian: napas (id)
Italian: alito (it) m , fiato (it) m
Japanese: 息 (ja) ( いき , iki)
Kabuverdianu: bafu , bófe
Kazakh: дем ( dem )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھەناسە ( henase )
Latvian: dvaša (lv) f , elpa f
Luxembourgish: Otem m
Macedonian: здив m ( zdiv )
Mansaka: ginawa , napas
Manx: ennal f
Occitan: alen (oc) m
Old English: ǣþm m
Persian: بازدم (fa) ( bâzdam )
Portuguese: hálito (pt) , bafo (pt) m
Romanian: suflu (ro) n , halenă (ro) f , alenă (ro) f
Russian: дыха́ние (ru) n ( dyxánije ) , вздох (ru) m ( vzdox )
Sardinian:
Campidanese: álidu
Logudorese: alènu
Sassarese: arenu
Slovak: dych m
Spanish: aliento (es) m , hálito (es) m
Swedish: utandning (sv) c , andedräkt (sv)
Turkish: nefes (tr)
Vilamovian: ödum m
Walloon: alinne (wa) f , shofla (wa) m
Welsh: anadl (cy) m or f
Yiddish: אָטעם m ( otem )
Translations to be checked
breath (not comparable )
( phonetics , of a consonant or vowel) voiceless , surd ; contrasting with voice (breath sounds, voice sounds)
breath (third-person singular simple present breaths , present participle breathing , simple past and past participle breathed )
Misspelling of breathe .
In the polar regions one finds dark cold waters with few places to breath .
breath f (genitive singular breithe , nominative plural breitheanna )
Alternative form of breith ( “ birth; lay; bearing capacity; bringing, taking; seizing; catching, overtaking ” )
breath f (genitive singular breithe , nominative plural breitheanna )
Alternative form of breith ( “ judgment, decision; injunction ” )
Irish mutation
Radical
Lenition
Eclipsis
breath
bhreath
mbreath
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.