breathing definition | Dictionary.com

breath⋅ing

[bree-th

ing]

–noun

1.	the act of a person or other animal that breathes; respiration.

2.	a single breath.

3.	the short time required for a single breath.

4.	a pause, as for breath.

5.	utterance or words.

6.	a gentle moving or blowing, as of wind.

Classical Greek Grammar.

a.	the manner of articulating the beginning of a word written with an initial vowel sign, with or without aspiration before the vowel.

b.	one of the two symbols used to indicate this. Compare rough breathing, smooth breathing.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME brethynge. See breathe, -ing ¹

Related forms:

breath⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

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breathe

[breeth]

verb, breathed [breeth

, breath⋅ing.

–verb (used without object)

1.	to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.

2.	(in speech) to control the outgoing breath in producing voice and speech sounds.

3.	to pause, as for breath; take rest: How about giving me a chance to breathe?

4.	to move gently or blow lightly, as air.

5.	to live; exist: Hardly a man breathes who has not known great sorrow.

6.	to be redolent of.

7.	(of a material) to allow air and moisture to pass through easily: The jacket is comfortable because the fabric breathes.

8.	(of the skin) to absorb oxygen and give off perspiration.

9.	(of a wine) to be exposed to air after being uncorked, in order to develop flavor and bouquet.

–verb (used with object)

10.	to inhale and exhale in respiration.

11.	to exhale: Dragons breathe fire.

12.	to inject as if by breathing; infuse: She breathed life into the party.

13.	to give utterance to; whisper.

14.	to express; manifest.

15.	to allow to rest or recover breath: to breathe a horse.

16.	to deprive of breath; tire; exhaust.

17.	to cause to pant; exercise.

—Idioms

18.

breathe down someone's neck,

a.	to be close to someone in pursuit; menace; threaten: Police from four states were breathing down his neck.

b.	to watch someone closely so as to supervise or control: If everyone keeps breathing down my neck, how can I get my work done?

19.	breathe freely, to have relief from anxiety, tension, or pressure: Now that the crisis was over, he could breathe freely. Also, breathe easily, breathe easy.

20.	breathe one's last, to die: He breathed his last and was buried in the churchyard.

21.	not breathe a word or syllable, to maintain secrecy; keep a matter confidential: I'll tell you if you promise not to breathe a word.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME brethen, deriv. of breath

Synonyms:
14. utter, tell, murmur, voice; reveal, divulge.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To breathing

breathe (brēth)

v. breathed, breath·ing, breathes

v. intr.

To inhale and exhale air, especially when naturally and freely.
To be alive; live: A nicer person has never breathed.
To pause to rest or regain breath: Give me a moment to breathe.
To move or blow gently, as air.
To allow air to pass through: a natural fabric that breathes.
To be exhaled or emanated, as a fragrance.
To be manifested or suggested, as an idea or feeling: A sense of calm breathed from the landscape.
To reach fullness of flavor and aroma through exposure to air. Used chiefly of wine.
To require air in the combustion process. Used of an internal-combustion engine.

v. tr.

To inhale and exhale (air, for example) during respiration.
To inhale (an aroma, for example): breathe the lush scent of lilacs.
To impart as if by breathing; instill: an artist who knows how to breathe life into a portrait.
To exhale (something); emit.
To utter, especially quietly: Don't breathe a word of this.
To make apparent or manifest; suggest: Their manner breathed self-satisfaction.
To allow (a person or animal) to rest or regain breath.
Linguistics To utter with a voiceless exhalation of air.
To draw in (air) for the combustion process. Used of an internal-combustion engine.

[Middle English brethen, from breth, breath; see breath.]

Our Living Language : The euphemistic expression breathe one's last illustrates a widespread linguistic and cultural phenomenon known as taboo avoidance. There are certain concepts that few people like to talk or think about, and death is certainly one of them. Such concepts are often expressed linguistically by the invention of circumlocutions or other substitutions for the word that expresses the concept directly (in this case, the verb to die), probably as a way of minimizing the power of the basic word for the concept. It is interesting to compare how two different styles of language, formal and slang, avoid saying "die." More formal or elevated speech is full of euphemistic expressions such as breathe one's last, pass away, depart, expire, go to one's eternal reward, go the way of all flesh, and go to a better place. Many of these expressions try to cast death in a positive light, often with religious overtones. Speakers of slang are just as interested in avoiding the word die, partly for the same taboo-avoidance reasons and partly because of the general striving on the part of slang speakers to come up with novel expressions for old concepts. The result is a raft of irreverent expressions that are much more direct than the elevated ones—but not so direct as to actually say "die." These expressions often concentrate on a particular physical aspect of dying, lending them an unusually vivid quality: croak, go belly up, kick the bucket, cash in one's chips, bite the dust, eat it, crap out.

breath·ing (brē'thĭng)

1. The act or process of respiration.
2. A single breath.
3. Either of two marks, the rough breathing ( ) and the smooth breathing ( ' ), used in Greek to indicate presence or absence of aspiration.
4. The presence or absence of aspiration indicated by either of these marks.
The time required to take one's breath.
1. Either of two marks, the rough breathing ( ) and the smooth breathing ( ' ), used in Greek to indicate presence or absence of aspiration.
2. The presence or absence of aspiration indicated by either of these marks.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Breathing

Breath"ing\, n. 1. Respiration; the act of inhaling and exhaling air.

Subject to a difficulty of breathing. --Melmoth.

2. Air in gentle motion.

3. Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration; as, the breathings of the Spirit.

4. Aspiration; secret prayer. "Earnest desires and breathings after that blessed state." --Tillotson.

5. Exercising; promotion of respiration.

Here is a lady that wants breathing too; And I have heard, you knights of Tyre Are excellent in making ladies trip. --Shak.

6. Utterance; communication or publicity by words.

I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose. --Shak.

7. Breathing place; vent. --Dryden.

8. Stop; pause; delay.

You shake the head at so long a breathing. --Shak.

9. Also, in a wider sense, the sound caused by the friction of the outgoing breath in the throat, mouth, etc., when the glottis is wide open; aspiration; the sound expressed by the letter h.

10. (Gr. Gram.) A mark to indicate aspiration or its absence. See Rough breathing, Smooth breathing, below.

Breathing place. (a) A pause. "That c[ae]sura, or breathing place, in the midst of the verse." --Sir P. Sidney. (b) A vent.

Breathing time, pause; relaxation. --Bp. Hall.

Breathing while, time sufficient for drawing breath; a short time. --Shak.

Rough breathing (spiritus asper) ([spasp]). See 2d Asper, n.

Smooth breathing (spiritus lenis), a mark (') indicating the absence of the sound of h, as in 'ie`nai (ienai).

breathing breath·ing (brē'&phonth;ĭng)
n.
The alternate inhalation and exhalation of air in respiration.

breathing

the action of moving air or water across the surface of a respiratory structure, such as a gill or lung, to facilitate respiration (the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment). See respiration.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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