steady-breathing
|sted-dy-breath-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˈstɛdi ˈbriðɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˈstɛdi ˈbriːðɪŋ/
breathing evenly
Etymology
'steady-breathing' is a compound of the English words 'steady' and 'breathing'. 'steady' originates from Old English 'stædig', where the root 'stæð/stead' meant 'place/firmness', and 'breathing' originates from Old English 'breathan', where the root meant 'to blow' or 'to respire'.
'steady' changed from Old English 'stædig' to Middle English 'stedig/steadi' and eventually became modern English 'steady'. 'breathan' evolved into Middle English 'brething' and then modern 'breathing'. The compound combining these elements appears in Modern English as 'steady-breathing' (or as the phrase 'steady breathing').
Initially the component parts meant 'standing/firm' (steady) and 'to blow/respire' (breathing); over time the compound came to mean 'breathing that is regular and even' and is used to describe a calm or stable respiratory pattern.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or pattern of breathing that is regular and even; respiration that remains steady over time.
The nurse monitored the patient's steady-breathing throughout the night.
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Adjective 1
describing someone or something that breathes in a steady, regular way; having a steady pattern of breathing.
He lay on the couch, calm and steady-breathing after the long run.
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Last updated: 2025/11/15 05:31