Where does “respire” come from?
Respire comes from Middle English respiren, from Old French respirer, from Latin respirare, formed from the prefix re- and a root from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys-.
respire (English): To breathe in and out; to engage in the process...
Definitions
- To breathe in and out; to engage in the process...
Ancestry of “respire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | respiren | — |
| 2 | Old French | respirer | to respire; to breathe; to come back to life; to... |
| 3 | Latin | respīrō | to blow or breathe back; to breathe out, exhale |
| 4 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 5 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 6 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |