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transpiratory

 - 2 dictionary results

tran⋅spire

  [tran-spahyuhr] verb, -spired, -spir⋅ing.
Use transpiratory in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to occur; happen; take place.
2. to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.
3. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
4. to be revealed or become known.
–verb (used with object)
5. to emit or give off (waste matter, watery vapor, an odor, etc.) through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.
Origin:
1590–1600; < MF transpirer < ML trānspīrāre, equiv. to L trāns- trans- + spīrāre to breathe

Related forms:
tran⋅spir⋅a⋅ble, adjective
tran⋅spir⋅a⋅to⋅ry  [tran-spahyr-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , adjective

Usage note:
1. From its earlier literal sense “to escape as vapor” transpire came to mean “to escape from concealment, become known” in the 18th century. Somewhat later, it developed the meaning “to occur, happen,” a sentence such as He was not aware of what had transpired yesterday being taken to mean He was not aware of what had happened yesterday. In spite of two centuries of use in all varieties of speech and writing, this now common meaning is still objected to by some on the grounds that it arose from a misapprehension of the word's true meaning.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

transpire 
1597, "pass off in the form of a vapor or liquid," from M.Fr. transpirer (c.1560), from L. trans- "through" + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit). Figurative sense of "leak out, become known" is recorded from 1741, and the erroneous meaning "take place, happen" is almost as old, being first recorded 1755.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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