[pant] 
| 1. | to breathe hard and quickly, as after exertion. |
| 2. | to gasp, as for air. |
| 3. | to long with breathless or intense eagerness; yearn: to pant for revenge. |
| 4. | to throb or heave violently or rapidly; palpitate. |
| 5. | to emit steam or the like in loud puffs. |
| 6. | Nautical. (of the bow or stern of a ship) to work with the shock of contact with a succession of waves. Compare work (def. 24). |
| 7. | to breathe or utter gaspingly. |
| 8. | the act of panting. |
| 9. | a short, quick, labored effort at breathing; gasp. |
| 10. | a puff, as of an engine. |
| 11. | a throb or heave, as of the breast. |
| pant 1 (pānt) v. pant·ed, pant·ing, pants v. intr.
To utter hurriedly or breathlessly: I panted my congratulations to the winner of the race. n.
[Middle English panten, perhaps alteration of Old French pantaisier, from Vulgar Latin *pantasiāre, from Greek phantasioun, to form images, from phantasiā, appearance; see fantasy.] pant'ing·ly adv. |
pant (pānt)
v. pant·ed, pant·ing, pants
To breathe rapidly and shallowly.
panting
a method of cooling, used by many mammals, most birds, and some reptiles, accomplished by means of the evaporation of water from internal body surfaces. As the animal's body temperature rises, its respiration rate increases sharply; cooling results from the evaporation of water in the nasal passages, mouth, lungs, and (in birds) air sacs. Like other forms of evaporative cooling (e.g., perspiration), panting expends large amounts of water, which must be replaced if the animal is to maintain effective heat regulation.
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