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save one's breath

 - 5 dictionary results

breath

  [breth]
Use save one's breath in a Sentence
–noun
1. the air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.
2. respiration, esp. as necessary to life.
3. life; vitality.
4. the ability to breathe easily and normally: She stopped to regain her breath.
5. time to breathe; pause or respite: Give him a little breath.
6. a single inhalation or respiration: He took a deep breath.
7. the brief time required for a single respiration; a moment or instant: They gave it to her and took it away all in a breath.
8. a slight suggestion, hint, or whisper: The breath of slander never touched her.
9. a light current of air.
10. Phonetics.
a. the air drawn into or expelled from the lungs to provide the generative source for most speech sounds.
b. the audible expiration generating voiceless speech sounds, as (p), (k), (sh), etc.
11. moisture emitted in respiration, esp. when condensed and visible.
12. a trivial circumstance; trifle.
13. an odorous exhalation, or the air impregnated by it.
14. Obsolete. exhalation or vapor.
—Idioms
15. below or under one's breath, in a low voice or whisper; sotto voce: He protested under his breath because he was afraid to speak up.
16. catch one's breath, to pause or rest before continuing an activity or beginning a new one; resume regular breathing: Let me catch my breath before I begin anything new.
17. in the same breath, at virtually the same time; almost simultaneously: She lost her temper and apologized in the same breath.
18. out of breath, exhausted or gasping for breath, in consequence of an effort; breathless: After climbing to the top of the tower, we were so out of breath that we had to sit down.
19. save one's breath, to avoid futile talk or discussion: We were told to save our breath because the matter had already been decided.
20. take away one's breath, to make one as if breathless with astonishment; surprise; stun: The sheer beauty of the sea took away my breath. Also, take one's breath away.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME breth, breeth, OE brǣth smell, exhalation; akin to G Brodem vapor, steam

Synonyms:
3. spirit, animation, vigor, force.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

breath 
O.E. bræð "odor, exhalation" (O.E. word for "air exhaled from the lungs" was æðm), from P.Gmc. *bræthaz "smell, exhalation" (cf. O.H.G. bradam), from PIE *bhretos "steam, vapor given off by heat or something cooking," from base *bhre- "burn, heat." Breathless "awed" is from 1802. Breathalyzer first recorded 1960; an earlier name for it was drunkometer (1934).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: breath
Pronunciation: 'breth
Function: noun
1 a : the faculty of breathing breath after the race> b : an act or an instance of breathing or inhaling breath>
2 a : air inhaled and exhaled in breathing breath> b : something (as moisture on a cold surface) produced by breath or breathing —out of breath : breathing very rapidly (as from strenuous exercise)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

breath (brěth)
n.

  1. The air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.

  2. A single respiration.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

save one's breath

Refrain from arguing about a lost cause, as in You can save your breath; I'm not going to change my mind. This term was also put as save your breath to cool your porridge (or broth), that is, by not blowing on the too hot liquid. The idea of not expending one's breath to say something another person doesn't want to hear dates from the early 1700s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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