inspire

See also: inspiré and inspirē

English

Etymology

From Middle English inspiren, enspiren, from Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin īnspīrāre, present active infinitive of īnspīrō (“inspire”), itself a loan-translation of Biblical Ancient Greek πνέω (pnéō, “breathe”), from in + spīrō (“breathe”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ˈspaɪɹ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ˈspaɪə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Verb

inspire (third-person singular simple present inspires, present participle inspiring, simple past and past participle inspired)

1. (transitive) To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by inspiration.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Wisdom 15:11:

     He knew not his Maker, and him that inspired into him an active soul.

   • c. 1588-1593, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus

     Dawning day new comfort hath inspired.

   • 2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, page 172:

     Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.

2. (transitive) To infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens or exalts; to communicate inspiration to.

   Elders should inspire children with sentiments of virtue.

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     Erato, thy poet's mind inspire, / And fill his soul with thy celestial fire.

3. (intransitive) To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale.
   • c. 1670, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus", Or a Theoretick and Practical Discourse of Consumptions and Hypochondriack Melancholy... Likewise a Discourse of Spitting of Blood

     By means of those sulfurous coal smokes the lungs are as it were stifled and extremely oppressed, whereby they are forced to inspire and expire the air with difficulty.

4. To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing.
5. (archaic, transitive) To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate.
   • 1708, Alexander Pope, Ode for Music on St Cecilia's Day:

     Descend, ye Nine, descend and sing, / The breathing instruments inspire.

6. (transitive) To spread rumour indirectly.

Synonyms

• beghast

Antonyms

• (inhale): expire

Derived terms

• inspirer

Related terms

• inspiration
• inspirational
• inspirator
• inspiratory

Translations

to infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit

• Bulgarian: внушавам (bg) (vnušavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 授意 (zh) (shòuyì), 鼓舞 (zh) (gǔwǔ)

• Czech: inspirovat
• Dutch: inspireren (nl)
• Finnish: elähdyttää, innoittaa, inspiroida (fi)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Galician: inspirar (gl)
• Georgian: შთააგონებს (štaagonebs)
• Greek: εμπνέω (el) (empnéo)
• Hungarian: sugalmaz (hu), megihlet (hu), ihletet ad, kelt (hu), ébreszt (hu), inspirál (hu)

• Icelandic: hvetja
• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
• Polish: inspirować (pl) impf, zainspirować pf
• Portuguese: inspirar (pt)
• Romanian: inspira (ro)
• Russian: внуша́ть (ru) (vnušátʹ), внуши́ть (ru) (vnušítʹ), вдохновля́ть (ru) (vdoxnovljátʹ), вдохнови́ть (ru) (vdoxnovítʹ)
• Swedish: inspirera (sv)
• Turkish: esinlemek (tr), ilham vermek
• Ukrainian: вселя́ти impf (vseljáty), всели́ти pf (vselýty), наві́ювати impf (navíjuvaty), наві́яти pf (navíjaty), надиха́ти impf (nadyxáty), надихну́ти pf (nadyxnúty)
• Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)

to infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence

• Armenian: ոգեշնչել (hy) (ogešnčʿel)
• Bulgarian: вдъхновявам (bg) (vdǎhnovjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 影响 (zh)

• Finnish: innostaa (fi), inspiroida (fi)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Galician: inspirar (gl)
• Hungarian: ösztönöz (hu), lelkesít (hu), inspirál (hu)
• Latin: afflō, iniciō, īnspīrō

• Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
• Maori: whakamanawa, toitoi manawa, whakaohooho, whakakipakipa, whakahihiko
• Romanian: inspira (ro)
• Russian: вдохновля́ть (ru) impf (vdoxnovljátʹ), вдохнови́ть (ru) pf (vdoxnovítʹ), воодушевля́ть (ru) impf (vooduševljátʹ), воодушеви́ть (ru) pf (vooduševítʹ)
• Spanish: inspirar (es), infundir (es)
• Swedish: inspirera (sv)
• Ukrainian: надиха́ти impf (nadyxáty), надихну́ти pf (nadyxnúty)
• Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)

to inhale — see inhale

to infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing

• Bulgarian: вдишвам (bg) (vdišvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吸入 (zh)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Greek: πνέω (el) (pnéo)

• Hungarian: eltölt (hu), elönt (hu), tölt (hu), önt (hu), áthat (hu), átjár (hu)
• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Latin: afflō
• Russian: вдыха́ть (ru) impf (vdyxátʹ), вдохну́ть (ru) impf (vdoxnútʹ)
• Ukrainian: вдиха́ти (uk) impf (vdyxáty), вдихну́ти pf (vdyxnúty)

archaic: to breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吹入, 吹奏 (zh)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)

• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Latin: īnspīrō

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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} أَلْهَمَ‎ (ʾalhama)
• German: ^{(please verify)} einhauchen (de), ^{(please verify)} einflößen (de), ^{(please verify)} begeistern (de)
• Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} inspirar
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} spreag

• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 動かす (ja) (うごかす, ugokasu)
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 授意 (zh) (shòu yì)
• Old English: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} inspirar (es)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• spinier

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Asturian

Verb

inspire

1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of inspirar

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French

Verb

inspire

1. inflection of inspirer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

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Portuguese

Verb

inspire

1. First-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of inspirar
2. Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você^?) present subjunctive of inspirar
3. Third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of inspirar
4. Third-person singular (você) negative imperative of inspirar

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [inˈspire]

Verb

inspire

1. third-person singular present subjunctive of inspira
2. third-person plural present subjunctive of inspira

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Spanish

Verb

inspire

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of inspirar.