ˈbrēthiŋ, -thēŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English brething act of respiration, from gerund of brethen to breathe
1.
a. : a very brief time
it all happened in a breathing
b. : a pause for taking breath : delay
2. : either of the marks ‘ and ’ used in writing Greek, the former to indicate aspiration, the latter to indicate absence of aspiration — see rough breathing , smooth breathing
3. : breather 3
4. : the passage of air into or out of an aerostat due to changing volume