respiration
/ɹɛspɪˈɹeɪʃən/ noun
Forms respirations
- noun (uncountable) The process of inhaling and exhaling.
- noun (countable) An act of breathing: a single breath.
- noun Any similar process in an organism that lacks lungs that exchanges gases with its environment.
- noun The process by which cells obtain chemical energy by the consumption of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide.
Synonyms
breathing ventilation metabolism internal respiration cellular respiration external respiration
Etymology
From Middle English respiracioun, borrowed from Latin respīrātiō, respīrātiōnem.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of respiring or breathing again, or catching one's breath.
- noun Relief from toil or suffering: rest. [Obs.]
Etymology [L. respiratio: cf. F. respiration. See Respire.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “respiration”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details