Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “transpire” come from?

Transpire comes from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin transpirare, combining Latin spirare (to breathe) and Proto-Indo-European terh₂- and (s)peys-.

transpire (English): To give off ; to exhale; To perspire; Of plants,...

Definitions

  1. To give off ; to exhale; To perspire; Of plants,...

Ancestry of “transpire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchtranspirer—
2Medieval Latintranspirareto breathe through
3Latinspīrō—
4Proto-Indo-European(s)peys-to blow, breathe; to blow to make noise; to blow;...

Words derived from “transpire”

  • transpirable
  • transpireth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys- →