Main Entry:

breath

Pronunciation:

\ˈbreth\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English breth, from Old English brǣth; akin to Old High German brādam breath, and perhaps to Old English beorma yeast — more at barm

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: air filled with a fragrance or odor b: a slight indication : suggestion <the faintest breath of scandal>2 a: the faculty of breathing <recovering his breath after the race> b: an act of breathing <fought to the last breath> c: opportunity or time to breathe : respite3: a slight breeze4 a: air inhaled and exhaled in breathing <bad breath> b: something (as moisture on a cold surface) produced by breath or breathing c: inhalation5: a spoken sound : utterance6: spirit, animation

— breath of fresh air

: a welcome or refreshing change

— in one breath or in the same breath

: almost simultaneously

— out of breath

: breathing very rapidly (as from strenuous exercise)

— under one's breath

: so as to be barely audible <mumbled something under his breath>