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(key): /bɹiːð/
- (General American) IPA(key): /bɹið/
Audio (GA) (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 606515358, [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 1001655651:
- 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 606515358, [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 22697011, (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).
- 1850, John Howard Hinton, On the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures. A lecture, etc, page 16:
- (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 quote)
- 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 606515358, [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
Conjugation of breathe
| infinitive | (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 | ||
| 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
- as I live and breathe
- breathe again
- breathe a sigh of relief
- breathe a word
- breathe down someone's neck
- breathe easy
- breathe freely
- breathe in
- breathe one's last
- breathe one's last breath
- breathe out
- breathe upon
- breathing gas
- breathing room
- breathing space
- breathing spell
- buddy breathe
- fire-breathing
- inbreathe
- outbreathe
- overbreathe
- stagger breathe
Related terms
- breath
Translations
to draw air in and out
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to exchange gases in similar way
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to use gas to sustain life
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figuratively: to live
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to draw into lungs
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to expel air from the lungs
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to pass like breath
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to give an impression of
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to whisper quietly
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to exchange gases with the environment
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to stop and catch one's breath
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to give an opportunity to catch breath
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(figurative) to be passionately devoted to
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Anagrams
- beareth, beheart, herb tea, rebathe