▪ I. † reˈspire, n. Obs. rare—1.
[f. next.]
A respiration; a breath.
| 1645 G. Daniel Poems Wks. (Grosart) II. 68 My close-breathing tires My Lungs, in oft respires. |
▪ II. respire, v.
(rɪˈspaɪə(r))
Also 5–6 respyre.
[ad. F. respirer (13th c.), or L. respīrāre, f. re- re- + spīrāre to breathe. So Sp. and Pg. respirar, It. re-, rispirare.]
I. intr.
† 1. To come up to the surface to breathe. Obs. rare—1.
| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. v. (Skeat) l. 35 He..in-to water entreth and anon respireth. |
2. a. To breathe; to inhale and exhale air.
| 1592 Davies Immort. Soul xxiv. ii. (1714) 80 This makes the Pulses beat, and Lungs respire. 1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Physicke 40/1 Impose that into the Nose of the Patient, but not to close, because he might respire. 1603 T. Davies (Heref.) Microcos. Wks. (Grosart) I. 24/1 Man, and Beast, and what doth els respire. 1692 Bentley Boyle Lect. vii. 224 The ordinary Air in which we live and respire. 1721 Bradley Philos. Acc. Wks. Nat. 105 It respires by the Gills, which are Lungs peculiar to Fishes. 1769 E. Bancroft Guiana 192 This Fish frequently respires. 1803 Med. Jrnl. X. 251 The patient appearing..to have much difficulty in respiring. 1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. I. 143/1 Quadrupeds and birds respire universally by means of lungs. 1882 Swinburne Tristram of Lyonesse 10 These..Saw love and wrath and light and night and fire Live with one life and at one mouth respire. |
| fig. 1805 Wordsw. Prelude iii. 132 All That I beheld respired with inward meaning. |
b. To draw breath, to live. rare—1.
| 1619 Drayton Bar. Wars. ii. 55 Yet the braue Barons, whilst they do respire, With Courage charge. |
† c. To breathe a word against something. Obs.
| 1621 Quarles Argalus & P. (1678) 26 Parthenia should obey, and not respire Against their sacred counsels, or withstand The plot. |
d. To carry out or exhibit the biochemical processes of respiration.
| 1927 M. Bodansky Introd. Physiol. Chem. viii. 200 A tissue that has been washed until it no longer ‘respires’ will, upon the addition of glutathione, again take up oxygen and yield carbon dioxide. 1951 M. Abercrombie et al. Dict. Biol. 197 Many organisms (or parts of them) respire anaerobically for some time when their supply of oxygen is insufficient for aerobic respiration. 1976 Sci. Amer. Feb. 68/2 When the crop is ensiled, the plant cells continue to respire for a period of time and the aerobic bacteria on the plant increase in number. |
3. fig. To breathe again, after distress, trouble, etc.; to recover hope, courage, or strength.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. xvi. 1587 (Royal MS.), Sa Rome before dispayrd than Respyre in to gud hope began. 1525 St. Papers Hen. VIII, VI. 430 He shalbe able to do no feate on the see, ne so sone to respire and inquiet thEmperour. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 92 Syne at the last thair spreitis did respyre. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. iii. 36 Then shall the Britons..From their long vassalage gin to respire. 1673 Temple Obs. on United Prov. Wks. 1720 I. 29 The Arch-Duke, newly respiring from so long a War. 1717 Pope Iliad xi. 424 Stern Hector's conquest in the middle plain Stood check'd awhile, and Greece respired again. 1807 J. Barlow Columb. iv. 242 Quell'd by his fame, the furious seeks accord, Europe respires beneath his guardian sword. 1816 Wordsw. Siege Vienna raised, The Imperial City stands released From bondage threatened by the embattled East, And Christendom respires. |
4. To take breath; to rest or enjoy relief from toil or exertion.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. ix. 8 Ah, Love! lay down thy bow, the whiles I may respyre. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. xi. l, But here I feel amends..; here leave me to respire. 1742 Young Nt. Th. ix. 1741 Pause, then; and, for a moment, here respire.—If human thought can keep its station here. 1769 Wilkie Epigoniad iii. 39 The Spartan bands..The fight maintained; nor from their toils respired. 1819 Shelley Prometh. Unb. ii. v. 2 On the brink of the night and the morning My coursers are wont to respire. |
† 5. a. Of wind: To blow. Obs. rare.
| 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) I. 59 The wyndes respirenge and restenge in the profundite of hit. 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. 51 b/1 If there respire a south⁓west wind, with warmishe showres of rayne. 1762 Hoole tr. Tasso xiii. 401 Alone the wind from Libya's sands respires. |
† b. Of smell or vapour: To exhale, transpire. Obs.
| c 1460 Bk. Quintessence 4 Þe seel of lute of wijsdom, maad of þe sotillest flour,..ymeyngid so þat no þing respire out. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 34 b, To whome the ennemy caused oftentymes whan he was at masse a meruaylous swete sauour to respyre and smell aboute his fyngers. |
II. trans.
6. To breathe; to inhale and exhale (air, etc.).
| 1548–77 Vicary Anat. v. (1888) 42 The ayre is respyred and drawen to the lunges. a 1618 Sylvester Hymn of Alms 276 A sighfull Air (though Soule-less) to respire. 1651 T. Stanley Poems 172 O'erjoyd are they To breathe the air which she respires. 1711 Gay Rural Sports i. 12, I..Long in the noisy Town have been immur'd, Respir'd its smoke. 1784 Cowper Task i. 138 That play of lungs, inhaling and again Respiring freely the fresh air. 1827 D. Johnson Ind. Field Sports 238 The dogs received the poison..by respiring the effluvia arising from them. 1853 W. Gregory Inorg. Chem. 154 The air will certainly destroy life if respired. |
| fig. 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster iv. viii, Mee thinkes, now I come neere her, I respire Some aire of that late comfort I receiu'd. 1824 W. Irving T. Trav. II. 11, I seemed to respire hope and comfort with the free air. 1829 Lytton Devereux iv. iii, The very breath which a literary man respires is hot with hatred. |
7. To breathe or give out, to exhale (an odour, etc.). Chiefly fig.
| 1577 Frampton Joyful News iii. (1596) 88 The selfesame [cinnamon]..being ground, respiring out from it the same smel which the most fine Cinamon hath. 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster i. iii, The ayre respires the pure elyzian sweets, In which she breathes. 1669 Gale Crt. Gentiles i. i. i. 6 Every Art doth respire a sweet science to the glasse of our understanding. 1794 Colebrooke Asiatic Res. VIII. (Cent.), From this great being were respired the Rigveda, etc. 1807 J. Robinson Archæol. Græca iii. xix. 310 Men who, armed with lances and bucklers, seemed only to respire war. 1841 L. Hunt Seer (1864) 74 In the south of Europe, where every thing respires animal sensibility. |
8. To breathe (a thing) into a person's ear.
| 1846 Landor Imag. Conv., Dante & Beatrice, Are you willing that the Tempter should intercept it [love], and respire it polluted into your ear? |
Hence reˈspired ppl. a.; reˈspiring vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. 10/1 Beinge smitten [she] without anye respiringe, is fallen into a Vertiginem. c 1611 Chapman Iliad xvi. 102 He wrought it out With short respirings, and with sweate. 1697 Congreve Mourn. Bride ii. ix, When I..felt the balm of thy respiring lips. 1822 Good Study Med. I. 447 The diminution in the bulk of respired air..may be accounted for. |