breathe
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: brēth
ipa: /bɹiːð/
ipa: /bɹið/
rhymes: -iːð
Forms: form: breathes
form: breathing
form: breathed
form: breathed
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: breathe
form: breathe
form: breathed
form: breathe
form: breathest
form: breathed
form: breathedst
form: breathes
form: breatheth
form: breathed
form: breathe
form: breathed
form: breathe
form: breathed
form: breathe
form: -
form: breathing
form: breathed
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.
Senses: glosses: To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
examples: text: Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
glosses: To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
examples: text: While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.
glosses: To inhale (a gas) to sustain life.
examples: text: I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe.
text: I am in health, I breathe.
ref: 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]:
text: Breathes there a man with soul so dead?
ref: 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:
glosses: To live.
examples: text: Try not to breathe too much smoke.
glosses: To draw something into the lungs.
examples: text: If you breathe on a mirror, it will fog up.
glosses: To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
examples: text: The flowers breathed a heady perfume.
text: Mountain Drakes breathe fire, Ice Drakes breathe ice, Swamp Drakes breathe acid, and Forest Drakes breathe lightning.
ref: 2012, Timothy Groves, The Book Of Creatures, →ISBN, page 85:
glosses: To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath.
examples: text: The decor positively breathes classical elegance.
glosses: To give an impression of, to exude.
examples: text: He breathed the words into her ear, but she understood them all.
glosses: To whisper quietly.
examples: text: The wind breathes through the trees.
text: The air breathes upon us here most sweetly.
ref: 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]:
text: There breathes a living fragrance from the shore.
ref: 1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):
glosses: To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate; to blow gently.
examples: text: The affirmation before us, then, will be, "All scripture is divinely breathed."
ref: 1850, John Howard Hinton, On the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures. A lecture, etc, page 16:
text: […] that God, who breathed the Scriptures, "cannot lie," […]
ref: 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:
text: 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).
ref: 2010, Jay E. Adams, The Christian Counselor's Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, Zondervan, →ISBN:
qualifier: chiefly Evangelical and Charismatic Christianity
glosses: To inspire (scripture).
raw_tags: with God as agent
examples: text: Garments made of certain new materials breathe well and keep the skin relatively dry during exercise.
glosses: To exchange gases with the environment.
examples: text: 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
ref: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “lxiiij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book X:
text: Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again!
ref: 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]:
glosses: To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
examples: text: At higher altitudes you need to breathe your horse more often.
glosses: To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
glosses: To exercise; to tire by brisk exercise.
examples: text: ―Do you like hiking? ―Are you kidding? I breathe hiking.
glosses: To passionately devote much of one's life to (an activity, etc.).
Synonyms: sense: to draw air or other gases in and out
word: respire
sense: to be passionate about
word: live and breathe
word: breathe
word: draw breath
word: inbreathe
word: spire
word: suspire
Hypernyms: word: respire
Hyponyms: word: breathe in
word: breathe out
word: exhale
word: expire
word: imbreathe
word: inhale
word: inspire
word: outbreathe
word: take a breath
word: aspirate
word: blow
word: breathe hard
word: cough
word: gasp
word: gulp
word: hiccup
word: huff
word: hyperventilate
word: hypoventilate
word: pant
word: puff
word: sigh
word: sniff
word: sniffle
word: sneeze
word: snort
word: snuff
word: snuffle
word: sob
word: suck
word: wheeze
word: whiff
word: whiffle
Derived terms: 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 new life into
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
imbreathe
inbreathe
misbreathe
mouth-breathe
nonbreathing
outbreathe
overbreathe
overbreathed
rebreathe
stagger breathe
unbreathed
unbreathing
underbreathe
upbreathe
Related terms: word: breath
word: exhalation
word: inhalation
word: respiration
word: breathable
word: breathability
word: as I live and breathe
word: bad breath
word: breathe easy
word: breathe down someone's neck
word: breathe a sigh of relief
word: breathe a word
word: catch one's breath
word: don't hold your breath
word: draw one's last breath
word: eat
word: and sleep
word: in the same breath
word: out of breath
word: pause for breath
word: save one's breath
word: shortness of breath
word: stop for breath
word: take one's breath away
word: under one's breath
word: waste breath
word: with bated breath