suspiration
nounEtymology Learned borrowing from Latin suspīrātiō, suspīrātiōnem (“sighing”).
1
The act of breathing, not necessarily for a sustained period (compare respiration, which is sustained).
- nor windy suspiration of forced breathc. 1599-1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, act 1, scene 2; republished as Hamlet, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1992, →ISBN, page 9:
- and the assistance of the inward Intercostal Muscles in deep Suspirations, when we take more large gulps of Aire to cool our heart overcharged with Love or Sorrow […]1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book II, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 80
- Related terms
- suspire