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respire

[ri-spahy^uhr]

Origin

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verb (used without object)

to inhale and exhale air for the purpose of maintaining life; breathe.

to breathe freely again, after anxiety, trouble, etc.

verb (used with object)

to breathe; inhale and exhale.

to exhale.

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Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English respiren < Latin respīrāre, equivalent to re- re- + spīrāre to breathe; see spirit

Related forms

pre·re·spire, verb (used with object), -spired, -spir·ing.

un·re·spired, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

respire (rɪˈspaɪə)

—vb
1.	to inhale and exhale (air); breathe
2.	(intr) to undergo the process of respiration
3.	literary to breathe again in a relaxed or easy manner, as after stress or exertion

[C14: from Latin rēspīrāre to exhale, from re- + spīrāre to breathe; see spirit¹]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

respire

late 14c., from O.Fr. respirer, from L. respirare "breathe again, breathe in and out," from re- "again" + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

respire re·spire (rĭ-spīr')
v. re·spired, re·spir·ing, re·spires

To breathe in and out; inhale and exhale.
To undergo the metabolic process of respiration.
To breathe easily again, as after a period of exertion.

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Matching Quote

"At length, on Saturday, the last day of August, 1839, we two, brothers, and natives of Concord, weighed anchor in this river port; for Concord, too, lies under the sun, a port of entry and departure for the bodies as well as the souls of men; one shore at least exempted from all duties but such as an honest man will gladly discharge. A warm, drizzling rain had obscured the morning, and threatened to delay our voyage, but at length the leaves and grass were dried, and it came out a mild afternoon, as serene and fresh as if Nature were maturing some greater scheme of her own. After this long dripping and oozing from every pore, she began to respire again more healthily than ever. So with a vigorous shove we launched our boat from the bank, while the flags and bulrushes courtesied a God-speed, and dropped silently down the stream."

-Henry David Thoreau

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