Respiratory
/rɪˈspɪr.ə.tɔː.ri/noun
Relating to breathing or the organs and processes of breathing.
Did you know?Respiratory comes from Latin respirare, meaning “to breathe again,” and that same root family also gave English words tied to spirit and inspiration, where breath and soul were once conceptually linked.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*speis-
“to blow, breathe”
Latin
Latin
spirare
“to breathe, blow”
Latin
Latin
respirare
“to breathe again, recover breath”
Late Latin
Latin
respiratorius
“pertaining to breathing”
Middle English
English
respiratory
“relating to breathing”