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as·pi·rate (ăspə-rāt′)
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tr.v. as·pi·rat·ed, as·pi·rat·ing, as·pi·rates
1. Linguistics
a. To pronounce (a vowel or word) with the initial release of breath associated with English h, as in hurry.
b. To follow (a consonant, especially a stop consonant) with a puff of breath that is clearly audible before the next sound begins, as in English pit or kit.
2. To draw (liquid or a foreign object, for example) into the respiratory tract when taking a breath.
3. Medicine
a. To remove (a liquid or gas) from the body by aspiration.
b. To suction (a body part or growth, for example) for the removal of a liquid or gas.
n. (-pər-ĭt)
1. Linguistics
a. The speech sound represented by English h.
b. The puff of air accompanying the release of a stop consonant.
c. A speech sound followed by a puff of breath.
2. Medicine Matter removed by aspiration.
[Latin aspīrāre, aspīrāt-, to breathe on : ad-, ad- + spīrāre, to breathe.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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