aspirates
|as-pi-rates|
🇺🇸
/ˈæs.pə.reɪts/
🇬🇧
/ˈæs.pəreɪts/
(aspirate)
to breathe (on/in); draw breath
Etymology
'aspirate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'aspirare', where 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'spirare' meant 'to breathe'.
'aspirare' passed into Medieval/Medieval Latin as 'aspiratus' (past participle) and then into Middle English (via learned borrowings) as 'aspiraten'/'aspiraten' before becoming modern English 'aspirate'.
Initially it meant 'to breathe upon' or 'to blow on'; over time it evolved to include 'to inhale or draw out by suction' (medical sense) and 'to pronounce a consonant with a strong breath' (phonetic sense).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'aspirate': substances or samples obtained by aspiration (e.g., fluid withdrawn by suction) or instances of aspirated sounds (in phonetics).
The lab analyzed the aspirates taken from the patient's lungs.
Synonyms
Verb 1
third-person singular present form of 'aspirate': to remove (fluid or foreign material) from a body or cavity by suction; to draw (something) in by inhalation; to inhale accidentally into the airway.
The nurse aspirates the fluid from the wound before dressing it.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/31 19:46