Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The fluid, consisting of water with small amounts of urea and salts, that is excreted through the pores of the skin by the sweat glands; sweat.
  • noun The act or process of perspiring.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Excretion of liquid from the skin, mainly by the sweatglands; sweating: a function of service in the elimination of certain substances, but especially as a means of cooling the body. It is under direct nervous control.
  • noun The liquid thus excreted; sweat.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act or process of perspiring.
  • noun That which is excreted through the skin; sweat.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun the action or process of perspiring
  • noun a saline fluid secreted by the sweat glands

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid
  • noun salty fluid secreted by sweat glands

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French perspiration, from perspirer ("perspire"), from Latin perspirare ("to blow or breathe constantly"), from per ("through") + spirare ("to breathe, blow")

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Examples

Comments

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  • Supposedly a hard working adult sweats up to 4 gallons per day. Most of the sweat evaporates before a person realizes it's there.

    May 7, 2008

  • I have trouble moving from the inspiration to the perspiration; my great ideas don’t become reality because I don’t spend the time and energy to make them happen.

    December 4, 2010