1623 (implied in inhalation), from L. inhalare "breathe upon," from in- "upon" + halare "breathe." Taken in Fr. and Eng. as the opposite of exhale. Slang sense of "eat rapidly" is recorded from 1924.
Main Entry: in·hale Pronunciation: in-'hA(&)l Function: verb Inflected Forms: in·haled; in·hal·ing transitivesenses : to draw in by breathing inhaleintransitive senses : to breathe in