transpire

[ tran-spahyuhr ]
See synonyms for: transpiretranspired on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),tran·spired, tran·spir·ing.
  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.

  1. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.

  2. to be revealed or become known.

verb (used with object),tran·spired, tran·spir·ing.
  1. to emit or give off (waste matter, watery vapor, an odor, etc.) through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.

Origin of transpire

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin trānspīrāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + spīrāre “to breathe”

word story For transpire

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.

Other words from transpire

  • tran·spir·a·ble, adjective
  • tran·spir·a·to·ry [tran-spahyr-uh-tawr-ee], /trænˈspaɪr əˌtɔr i/, adjective
  • un·tran·spir·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with transpire

Words Nearby transpire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use transpire in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for transpire

transpire

/ (trænˈspaɪə) /


verb
  1. (intr) to come to light; be known

  2. (intr) informal to happen or occur

  1. physiol to give off or exhale (water or vapour) through the skin, a mucous membrane, etc

  2. (of plants) to lose (water in the form of water vapour), esp through the stomata of the leaves

Origin of transpire

1
C16: from Medieval Latin transpīrāre, from Latin trans- + spīrāre to breathe

usage For transpire

It is often maintained that transpire should not be used to mean happen or occur, as in the event transpired late in the evening, and that the word is properly used to mean become known, as in it transpired later that the thief had been caught . The word is, however, widely used in the former sense, esp in spoken English

Derived forms of transpire

  • transpirable, adjective
  • transpiration (ˌtrænspəˈreɪʃən), noun
  • transpiratory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012