I. igˈzȯst, eg- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin exhaustus, past participle of exhaurire, from ex- ex- (I) + haurire to draw; akin to Middle High German œsen to empty, Old Norse ausa to besprinkle, Greek ex auein to take out
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to draw forth (as tears)
2. obsolete : to draw in : drink up
3.
a. : to draw off or let out wholly : drain off completely
exhaust the water of a well
exhaust the air from a bell jar
b. : to empty by drawing off or draining
exhaust a wine cask
exhaust a bank account
specifically : to create a vacuum in (as the receiver of an air pump) : evacuate 4
4.
a. : to use up the whole supply or store of : expend or consume entirely
exhaust a coal vein
till her lover had exhausted his eloquence — T.L.Peacock
b. : to deprive wholly of strength, patience, or resources : tire out : wear out : weary
exhausted from a day's shopping
exhausted himself working in the heat
c. : to destroy the fertility of
steady cropping exhausted the soil
5.
a. : to develop (a subject) completely : discuss thoroughly
b. : to make use of or try out or otherwise account for the whole number of
exhausted the possibilities
c. : to take complete advantage of (legal remedies)
all administrative remedies must be exhausted before application to the courts can be made
6. : to deprive completely of removable ingredients : deprive of strength or virtue
exhaust a photographic developer
as
a. : to extract completely with a solvent
exhaust a drug successively with water, alcohol, and ether
b. : to free as far as possible from sugar or other ingredient by crystallization
exhaust molasses
c. : to transfer dye from (a dyebath) ; also : to transfer (a dye) completely from a dyebath onto a fabric
intransitive verb
1. : discharge , empty
the engine exhausts through a muffler
2. : to flow or pass out
the steam exhausts into the condenser
3. : to pass from a dyebath onto a fabric
substantive dyes exhaust reasonably well onto cellulose
Synonyms: see deplete , tire
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : the escape or removal of working substance (as gas or vapor) from an engine cylinder after it has done its work on the piston
b. : the gas or vapor thus escaping
c. : the conduit including muffler and stack through which the gases escape
d. : an arrangement (as of fans) for withdrawing undesirable fumes, dusts, or odors from an enclosure (as a factory room or a kitchen)
2. : the production of a partial vacuum (as by an air pump) : exhaustion