ˈbrēthə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: breathe + -er
1. : one that utters, speaks, or proclaims
scandal that hurt its breather more than its subject
2. : one that breathes usually in an indicated way
in his sleep the child was a mouth breather
3. : a spell of usually violent exercise : something that occasions violent exercise
climbing the mountain was a real breather
4.
a. : a rest period : a break in one's activity for rest and relaxation : a brief relaxation of effort
taking a breather after the heavy work
b. : a game or match against a weak opponent
opened the season with a breather
5. : a small vent in an otherwise airtight enclosure for maintaining equality of pressure within and without (as in oil tanks, transformers, crankcases, instrument cases)
6. : a device to facilitate breathing especially under unusual circumstances
a new breather in the diver's equipment