# breathe
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English brethen (“to breathe, blow, exhale, odour”), derived from Middle English breth (“breath”). Eclipsed Middle English ethien and orðiæn, from Old English ēþian and orþian (“to breathe”); as well as Middle English anden, onden, from Old Norse anda (“to breathe”). More at breath.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) enPR: brēth, IPA: /bɹiːð/
* (General American) IPA: /bɹið/
* Audio (General American):(file)
* Rhymes: -iːð

### Verb

breathe (third-person singular simple present breathes, present participle breathing, simple past and past participle breathed)
* (intransitive) To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
* (intransitive) To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
    Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
* (transitive) To inhale (a gas) to sustain life.
    While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.
* (intransitive, figurative) To live.
    I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe.
** 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:I am in health, I breathe.
** 1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:Breathes there a man with soul so dead?
* (transitive) To draw something into the lungs.
    Try not to breathe too much smoke.
* (intransitive) To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
    If you breathe on a mirror, it will fog up.
* (transitive) To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath.
    The flowers breathed a heady perfume.
** 2012, Timothy Groves, The Book Of Creatures, →ISBN, page 85:Mountain Drakes breathe fire, Ice Drakes breathe ice, Swamp Drakes breathe acid, and Forest Drakes breathe lightning.
* (transitive) To give an impression of, to exude.
    The decor positively breathes classical elegance.
* (transitive) To whisper quietly.
    He breathed the words into her ear, but she understood them all.
* To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate; to blow gently.
    The wind breathes through the trees.
** 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:The air breathes upon us here most sweetly.
** 1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: Printed for John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):There breathes a living fragrance from the shore.
* (chiefly Evangelical and Charismatic Christianity, with God as agent) To inspire (scripture).
** 1850, John Howard Hinton, On the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures. A lecture, etc, page 16:The affirmation before us, then, will be, "All scripture is divinely breathed."
** 1917, J. C. Ferdinand Pittman, Bible Truths Illustrated: For the Use of Preachers, Teachers, Bible-school, Christian Endeavor, Temperance and Other Christian Workers, page 168:[…] that God, who breathed the Scriptures, "cannot lie," […]
** 2010, Jay E. Adams, The Christian Counselor's Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, Zondervan, →ISBN:Paul says that since God breathed the Scriptures, they are therefore useful; he did not put it the other way around (i.e., that they are useful, therefore inspired).
* (intransitive) To exchange gases with the environment.
    Garments made of certain new materials breathe well and keep the skin relatively dry during exercise.
* (intransitive, now rare) To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
** 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “lxiiij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book X:Thenne they lasshed to gyder many sad strokes / & tracyd and trauercyd now bakward / now sydelyng hurtlyng to gyders lyke two bores / & that same tyme they felle both grouelyng to the erthe / Thus they fought styll withoute ony reposynge two houres and neuer brethed(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again!
* (transitive) To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
    At higher altitudes you need to breathe your horse more often.
* (transitive) To exercise; to tire by brisk exercise.
* (transitive, figurative) To passionately devote much of one's life to (an activity, etc.).
    ―Do you like hiking? ―Are you kidding? I breathe hiking.

#### Conjugation

| infinitive | (to) breathe | (to) breathe |
| | present tense | past tense |
| 1st-person singular | breathe | breathed |
| 2nd-person singular | breathe, breathest$^†$ | breathed, breathedst$^†$ |
| 3rd-person singular | breathes, breatheth$^†$ | breathed |
| plural | breathe | breathed |
| subjunctive | breathe | breathed |
| imperative | breathe | — |
| participles | breathing | breathed |
$^†$Archaic or obsolete.

#### Synonyms

* (to draw air in and out): see Thesaurus:breathe
* (to be passionate about): live and breathe

#### Derived terms

* airbreathing
* airbreathing
* as I live and breathe
* breathable
* breathe again
* breathe a sigh of relief
* breathe a word
* breathe back to life
* breathe down someone's neck
* breathe easy
* breathe freely
* breathe in
* breathe one's last
* breathe one's last breath
* breathe out
* breather
* breathe upon
* breathing gas
* breathingly
* breathing room
* breathing space
* breathing spell
* buddy breathe
* bum-breathing
* embreathe
* fire-breathing
* fire-breathing
* imbreathe
* inbreathe
* misbreathe
* mouth-breathe
* nonbreathing
* outbreathe
* overbreathe
* overbreathed
* rebreathe
* stagger breathe
* unbreathed
* unbreathing
* underbreathe
* upbreathe

#### Related terms

* breath

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Anagrams

* beareth, beheart, herb tea, rebathe