Hyperventilate
/ˌhaɪ.pərˈven.tɪ.leɪt/noun
To breathe abnormally fast and deeply, often from anxiety or exertion.
Did you know?Hyperventilate is a modern medical coinage built from Greek hyper- (“over, beyond”) plus Latin ventilare (“to fan, winnow, or air out”), so its history is basically about too much air in motion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weh₁-
“to blow, breathe”
Latin
Latin
ventilare
“to fan, winnow, or stir air”
Ancient Greek
Greek
hyper
“over, above, beyond”
19th Century
English
hyperventilation
“abnormally rapid breathing”
Modern English
English
hyperventilate
“to breathe too rapidly and deeply”
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