Etymologically
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respiro

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [rɛsˈpiː.roː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [resˈpiː.ro][1]

Forms

respīrō (present infinitive respīrāre, perfect active respīrāvī, supine respīrātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin re- + spīrō (“to breathe”).[2][1] De Vaan thinks spīrō may imitate the sound of breathing; it has no direct cognates.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ennius has it first, of someone who toils hard and gets no chance to take breath.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It is to recover one's breath: Cicero observes that people under water can no more breathe near the surface than in the depths.[2] Terence uses it of breathing again after a fright, and Cicero of a breathing space from trouble: in Rome there is no room to breathe.[2] Lucretius has winds that blow back.[5] It is also simply to breathe out, and to breathe at all;[2] Calpurnius uses it of a pipe that sounds, Statius of a place giving off bad air.[2] English respire comes from it, partly through French, in the late 14th century.[6] Church Latin glosses it to breathe, to find relief and to sigh with longing.[7]

Timeline

  • 204–169 BC – Ennius of pausing for breath.[2][4]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence of breathing again after a fright.[2][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius of winds blowing back.[5][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of breathing and of a breathing space.[2][4]
  • late 14th century – English borrows it as respire.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To recover one's breath; to recover from fear, breathe again.[2][5][1]
  2. To take breath, pause; to have a respite; of an activity, to abate.[2][5][1]
  3. To breathe out, exhale; to breathe, respire; of a pipe, to sound; of things, to give off a vapour.[2][5][1]
  4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To find relief; to sigh with longing.[7]

Word family

  • respīrāculum
  • respīrāmen
  • respīrāmentum
  • respīrātiō
  • respīrātus
  • respīrātōrius

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson