breath

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Breath, the air inhaled or exhaled from the body during respiration, is inextricably associated with existence: the first breath marks the beginning of independent life. It is therefore the most commonly held metaphor for life or spirit. The book of Genesis states that God formed man from the dust of the earth ‘and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life’. By extension, using one's energy to inspire others is referred to, metaphorically, as breathing confidence into them.

Breathlessness is an uncomfortable awareness that arduous respiration is taking place, brought about by the need for increased consumption of oxygen during extended muscular activity. The complete cessation of spontaneous breathing, on the other hand, was for many centuries the prime indicator of death. The common tests for extinction of life were the absence of condensation on a mirror held in front of the mouth (the exit point of the soul), or the failure of a feather to flutter in front of the nostrils. But mechanical ventilators have changed all that; and now some relatives will not even accept brain death — which entails the inability to breathe — as the end of life.

For the Greek philosopher Anaximenes (fl. c.550 bc) the breath or pneuma was the primeval life force that bound the universe together; inhaling it invigorated the body. Similarly, in Indian yogic philosophy, prana is the cosmic energy that fills and maintains the body, manifesting in living beings as the breath. The fourth step of Patanjali's system of Raja Yoga is pranayama, or breath control, practised because the breath is held to influence markedly a person's thoughts and emotions. In one sense modern medicine concurs in this association, by directly relating hyperventilation to a disturbed psychological state.

Early advocates of artificial respiration, like the Society for the Recovery of Drowned Persons, formed in Amsterdam in 1767, advocated not only mouth-to-mouth respiration to resuscitate the inanimate but also the application a clyster of tobacco smoke blown into the intestines with a tobacco fumigator. Tobacco smoking is man's masterstroke in breath-tainting, which is today sweetened with medicated mouthwash rather than oil-based troches.

Inspired by Genesis, literalist advocates of good breathing techniques have pleaded divine sanction for nasal rather than mouth breathing. George Catlin, a nineteenth-century ethnographer of the American Indians (a race little subject, he believed, to fatal diseases of the lungs), insisted, since life was originally breathed into a man's nostrils, ‘why should he not continue to live by breathing it in the same manner?’ The unnatural and addictive habit of breathing through the mouth during sleep, he said, was confined to civilized societies. It allowed impurities into the lungs; affected the voice; caused crooked and protruding teeth; led to nervous agitation; made children into idiots and lunatics, and produced confirmed snorers. In a nutshell, he postulated: ‘if I were to endeavour to bequeath to posterity the most important Motto which human language can convey, it should be in three words — Shut your mouth.’

— Fiona Macdonald

Bibliography

• Miller, J. (1978). The breath of life. In The body in question. Jonathan Cape, London

See also artificial ventilation; breathing; lungs; respiration.

noun

1. The vital principle or animating force within living beings: divine spark, élan vital, life force, psyche, soul, spirit, vital force, vitality. See body/spirit.
2. The act or process of breathing: respiration. See breath/breathlessness.
3. Air breathed out, evidenced by vapor, odor, or heat: exhalation. See breath/breathlessness.
4. A slight amount or indication: dash, ghost, hair, hint, intimation, semblance, shade, shadow, soupçon, streak, suggestion, suspicion, taste, tinge, touch, trace, whiff, whisper. Informal whisker. See big/small/amount, show/hide.

Idioms beginning with breath:
breathe
breathe life into
breathe one's last
breath of fresh air

In addition to the idiom beginning with breath, also see catch one's breath; hold one's breath; in the same breath; out of breath; save one's breath; take one's breath away; under one's breath; waste one's breath; with bated breath.

IN BRIEF: Air drawn into and forced out of the lungs.

Draw in the breath of life, and as you breathe, smile. — Unknown, from www.zaadz.com

Tutor's tip: She held her "breath" (inhaled and exhaled air), then began to "breathe" (inhale and exhale air) deeply when she saw the "breadth" (distance from side to side) of the ocean.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: Both open 5 hands on the chest and stomach move back and forth away from the body.

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Many people have problems breathing during sleep, even if they do not have full-blown apnea, and this can be reflected in one's dream life. If not an apnea symptom, holding one's breath in a dream represent an expression of will, or repressing one's anxieties or emotions. Breathing is also central to an unusually large number of idioms: "a breath of fresh air," "a waste of breath," "take your breath away," "catch your breath," "out of breath," and the like, any one of which could find expression in one's dreams.

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The air taken in and expelled by the expansion and contraction of the thorax.

• bad b. — see breath odor (below).
• b. odor — characteristic for a species, reflecting their diet. Abnormal or unpleasant odors may be caused by diseased or necrotic tissue in the respiratory or upper gastrointestinal tracts, including mouth and nasal cavity. Diseased teeth are a common cause in dogs and cats. In addition, certain metabolic diseases may produce distinctive breath odor, e.g. ketoacidosis, uremia.
• hydrogen b. test — detects the level of hydrogen in expired air as an indication of intestinal bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates. It is used in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and carbohydrate malabsorption.
• b. sounds — can be heard with a stethoscope on the chest and trachea. The normal sounds are the normally very faint vesicular murmur and the louder, tubular sounding bronchial tones. They are made by the air passing through the tubes of the bronchi. Adventitious (abnormal) sounds are the rale, rhonchus, grunt, friction rub, laryngeal stertor, wheeze and peristaltic sounds. Bronchovesicular sounds are intermediate between the two in character and site of origin. The vesicular sounds and the bronchial tones may be increased to the point of being an abnormality. Abnormal sounds are caused by narrowing of the tubes, collection of exudate in them or inflammation of the pleural surfaces.
• b. stacking — in artificial respiration, incomplete expiration can result in residual air adding to the volume of the next inspiration with eventual over inflation of the lungs.
• b. volume — may be assessed by observation of degree of chest movement and volume of expired air as felt by the hand. A respirometer is more accurate but is not available nor satisfactory for clinical use with animals unless the subject is trained to use one.

n

Air inhaled and exhaled in respiration.

For a list of words related to breath, see:

• Winds - breath: wind under 3 mph
• Windy weather
• Phonetics - breath: expiration of air through open glottis, without vibration of vocal cords
• Smells - breath: hint or mere suggestion of scent, esp. carried on a light current of air

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See words rhyming with "breath."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Breath.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - åndedræt, vejrtrækning, åndedrag

idioms:

• be out of breath    tabe pusten, være stakåndet
• breath of fresh air    et frisk pust
• breath test    sprittest, alkoholtest
• in the same breath    i samme åndedrag
• take one's breath away    få en til at miste pusten, få en til at tabe vejret
• under one's breath    lavmælt, hviskende

Nederlands (Dutch)
adem, ademtocht, leven, ademhaling, briesje, zweempje op adem komen, de adem inhouden fluisteren

Français (French)
n. - haleine, souffle

idioms:

• a breath of fresh air    une bouffée d'air frais
• breath test    alcootest
• in one breath    (dire qch) tout d'un trait
• in the same breath    (tout) d'une même haleine, (se contredire) dans la même seconde
• out of breath    (être) à bout de souffle, essoufflé, hors d'haleine
• take breath    respirer, reprendre haleine
• take one's breath away    couper le souffle à qn
• under one's breath    à voix basse, tout bas

Deutsch (German)
n. - Atem, Atemzug, Hauch

idioms:

• a breath of fresh air    ein wenig frische Luft
• breath test    Alkoholtest (analysiert den Alkoholkonsum)
• in one breath    auf einmal, in einem Zug
• in the same breath    im selben Atemzug
• out of breath    außer Atem sein
• take breath    [sich] verschnaufen
• take one's breath away    dir den Atem verschlagen
• under one's breath    flüsternd

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ανάσα, αναπνοή, πνοή, χνώτο, (μτφ.) ζωή, ζωντάνια

idioms:

• be out of breath    λαχανιάζω, ασθμαίνω
• breath of fresh air    ευχάριστη αλλαγή, άνεμος αλλαγής
• breath test    αλκοτέστ
• Don't hold your breath    Δεν είναι και τίποτα σπουδαίο
• in the same breath    σχεδόν ταυτόχρονα, μονορούφι
• take one's breath away    κόβω την ανάσα κάποιου, αφήνω άναυδο κάποιον, καταμαγεύω κάποιον
• under one's breath    ψιθυριστά, μουρμουριστά

Italiano (Italian)
respiro, fiato, alito

idioms:

• be out of breath    essere senza fiato
• breath of fresh air    boccata d'aria fresca
• breath test    prova del fiato
• catch one's breath    prendere fiato
• get one's breath    prendere fiato
• hold one's breath    trattenere il respiro
• in the same breath    in un sol fiato
• last breath    ultimo respiro
• short of breath    col fiato corto
• shortness of breath    fiato corto
• speak under one's breath    bisbigliare
• take your breath away    ti toglie il fiato
• waste one's breath    sprecare il fiato
• with bated breath    con un fil di voce

Português (Portuguese)
n. - respiração (f), hálito (m)

idioms:

• be out of breath    estar sem fôlego
• breath of fresh air    rajada (f) de ar fresco
• breath test    teste (f) com bafômetro
• catch one's breath    perder o fôlego
• get one's breath    recuperar o fôlego
• hold one's breath    prender a respiração, esperar ansiosamente
• in the same breath    de uma só vez
• last breath    último (m) suspiro
• short of breath    ofegante
• shortness of breath    respiração (f) difícil
• speak under one's breath    sussurrar
• take your breath away    deixar sem fala
• waste one's breath    gastar saliva (gír.)
• with bated breath    quase sem fôlego, ansiosamente

Русский (Russian)
дыхание, вздох

idioms:

• be out of breath    задыхаться
• breath of fresh air    глоток свежего воздуха
• breath test    проверка на алкоголь
• catch one's breath    затаить дыхание, передохнуть
• get one's breath    отдышаться
• hold one's breath    затаить дыхание
• in the same breath    одним духом
• last breath    последний вздох
• short of breath    страдающий одышкой
• shortness of breath    одышка
• speak under one's breath    говорить вполголоса
• take your breath away    захватывать дух
• waste one's breath    тратить попусту слова
• with bated breath    затаив дыхание

Español (Spanish)
n. - aliento, hálito, soplido, soplo, vaho

idioms:

• a breath of fresh air    bocanada de aire fresco
• breath test    prueba del alcohol
• in one breath    en un suspiro
• in the same breath    al mismo tiempo, en el mismo momento
• out of breath    estar sin aliento
• take breath    tomar un respiro, tomar aire
• take one's breath away    dejar pasmado, dejar sin aliento
• under one's breath    en voz baja

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - andedräkt, andetag, suck, fläkt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
呼吸, 气味, 气息

idioms:

• be out of breath    上气不接下气
• breath of fresh air    一阵新鲜空气
• breath test    呼吸测试, 饮酒测试
• in the same breath    同时
• take one's breath away    使某人大吃一惊
• under one's breath    轻声地

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 呼吸, 氣味, 氣息

idioms:

• be out of breath    上氣不接下氣
• breath of fresh air    一陣新鮮空氣
• breath test    呼吸測試, 飲酒測試
• in the same breath    同時
• take one's breath away    使某人大吃一驚
• under one's breath    輕聲地

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 호흡, 생명, 휴식

idioms:

• be out of breath    숨이 차다
• in the same breath    단숨에
• take one's breath away    움찔 놀라게 하다
• under one's breath    소근 소근

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 息, 一回の呼気, 瞬間, そよぎ, 香りの漂い, 香気, 無声音

idioms:

• be out of breath    息を切らして
• breath of fresh air    すがすがしい風のそよぎ, 元気づける人
• breath test    飲酒検知, 酒気検査
• get one's breath    呼吸が整う
• shortness of breath    息切れ
• take your breath away    息を飲ませる
• with bated breath    息を殺して

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) نفس, نسمه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נשימה, אוויר, רוח קלה, משהו, רמז, סימן קל, שמץ, ניחוח קל של בושם, לחישה (במיוחד של דבר שערורייתי)‬

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