WordofTheDay.US

pant

/pænt/ noun

In Latin: anhēlō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. The noise made by a short puff of steam (as from an engine).
  2. (usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately.
    he had a sharp crease in his trousers
  3. A short labored intake of breath with the mouth open.
    she gave a gasp and fainted

verb

  1. Breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted.
    The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily
  2. Utter while panting, as if out of breath.

Origin

From Middle English panten, whence also English dialectal pank. Possibly from Old French pantoyer, a byform or of Old French pantoisier (“to be breathless”) (compare modern French panteler (“to gasp for breath”)), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Vulgar Latin *pantasiō (“struggling for breath when having a nightmare”), from Ancient Greek φαντασιόω (phantasióō, “to be subject to hallucinations”), from φαντασία (phantasía, “appearance, image, fantasy”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)