breath

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“
It is only a contraction of the Latin word "breath," and an indistinct translation of the Greek word for "wind."

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Definitions (41)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (15)

  1. noun The air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.
  2. noun The act or process of breathing; respiration.
  3. noun The capacity to breathe, especially in a natural and unlabored manner: shortness of breath.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (20)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • "Let me," he murmured, and his breath was a caress on her sensitive flesh. —  Walk on the Wilde Side by Anne M
  • Presently his breath was hissing softly through his clenched teeth, but he lay still as stone. —  The Lord of the Rings
  • Within the hollow rasp of his breath was another sound, ghostly echoing the first—a dry hiss. —  AnalogSFF,January-February2008
  • His fever suddenly seemed much worse, and his breath was as hot as a desert wind in his head. —  Tim Powers - The Stress of Her Regard
  • He sighed and his breath was a soft whisper along her spine. —  SexyBeastII
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

breathe ·  voice ·  sigh ·  air ·  sound ·  smell ·  cry ·  smile ·  touch ·  tear ·  lip ·  warmth

Used in the same contextWord Family

breath:   breaths
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English breth, from Old English brǣth; see gwhrē- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English breth, from Middle English breeth, breth, from Anglo-Saxon brǣth, breath, odor; cf. Old High German brādam, Middle High German bradem, German brodem, broden, steam, vapor, exhalation; perhaps connected with Anglo-Saxon brǣdan = Old High German brātan, Middle High German brāten, German braten, roast, broil (see brawn), and with Greek πρήθειν, burn, blow. The vowel in breath, orig. long, has become short, while remaining long in the verb breathe.
 

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/brɛθ/
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