ASPIRATE


Meaning of ASPIRATE in English

I. ˈasp(ə)rə̇t, ˈaas-, usu -ə̇d.+V adjective

Etymology: Latin aspiratus, past participle of aspirare, literally, to breathe upon — more at aspire

1. : aspirated

2. : silent but not preceded by liaison or elision — used of h in modern French

II. -pəˌrāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Latin aspiratus

1.

a. : to pronounce or to make so as to be pronounced (a vowel or word) with an h -sound as the initial element (as in ancient Greek)

b. : to pronounce (a stop consonant) with an immediately following h -sound in a syllable in which the h is not usually represented (as in English)

2.

a. : to draw by suction

a new charge is simultaneously being aspirated by the lower cylinder by way of inlet ports — G.G.Smith

b. : to remove (material) by aspiration

the portal vein is exposed and blood is aspirated with a 50-ml. syringe — Biological Abstracts

mucus aspirated from the bronchus by bronchoscopy

c. : inhale

aspirate food particles

III. -p(ə)rə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V noun

( -s )

Etymology: aspirate (I)

1. : h as an independent sound or a character representing it (as the letter h or the rough breathing symbol in Greek) — compare breathing 2

2. : a consonant having as its final element aspiration in the same syllable ; broadly : a combination of letters of which the last is h or the sound of such a combination

3. : material removed by aspiration

parasites may be more readily found in aspirates from the spleen — K.F.Maxcy

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.