Where does “aspiration” come from?

Aspiration comes from Latin aspīrātiō, derived from aspīrāre meaning "to breathe upon," combining the prefix ad- with spīrāre "to breathe," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád.

aspiration (English): The act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an...

Definitions

  1. The act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an...

Ancestry of “aspiration”, step by step

aspiration traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English aspire

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishaspireTo have a strong desire or ambition to achieve...
2Middle Englishaspiren
3Old Frenchaspirer
4Latinaspīrōto breathe or blow upon
5Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
6Latinīn-un-, non-, not
7Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
8Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9Proto-Italicenin
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

via English aspirate

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishaspirateThe puff of air accompanying the release of a...
2Latinaspīrātusbreathed, aspired

via Latin aspiratio

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinaspiratioThe act of blowing or breathing to or upon;...

Words derived from “aspiration

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁énEvery word from Latin īn-Every word from Latin ad-
aspiration — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer