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Added 8 October 2026

respire

/ɹɪˈspʌɪə/ verb

Latin root: respīrō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about respire at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To breathe in and out successively.
To recover one's breath or breathe easily following stress.
To take up oxygen and produce carbon dioxide (as animals do), or vice versa (as plants do).

noun

Rest, respite.

Origin

From Middle English respiren, borrowed from Old French respirer or Latin respīrō (“to blow back, breathe out”), from re- (“back”) + spīrō (“to breathe, blow”).

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

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