Aspirate
/ˈæs.pɪ.reɪt/noun
To pronounce with an audible breath, or a consonant pronounced with a strong puff of air.
Did you know?In Latin, *aspirare* meant “to breathe upon” or “to blow on,” and the same root gave English *aspire*—so breath became both a physical action and a metaphor for reaching upward.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*speis-
“to blow, hiss, or breathe”
Latin
Latin
aspirare
“to breathe upon, blow on; later, to aspire or strive toward”
Late Latin
Latin
aspiratus
“breathed upon; pronounced with an added breath”
Old French
Old French
aspirer
“to breathe, pant; to strive after”
Late Middle English
English
aspiraten
“to pronounce with a rough breathing”
Modern English
English
aspirate
“to pronounce with a strong puff of breath; a consonant so pronounced”