breathe
/bɹið/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.26 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater."
- "While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane."
- "I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe."
- "I am in health, I breathe."
- "Breathes there a man with soul so dead?"
- "Try not to breathe too much smoke."
Etymology
From Middle English brethen (“to breathe, blow, exhale, odour”), derived from Middle English breth (“breath”). Eclipsed Middle English ethien and orðiæn, from Old English ēþian and orþian (“to breathe”); as well as Middle English anden, onden, from Old Norse anda (“to breathe”). More at breath.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *bʰreh₁-, brethen, breth
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /bɹið/
- British English: /bɹiːð/
Usage
Inflected Forms
breathes (present, singular)
breathing (participle, present)
breathed (participle, past)
breathed (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
breathed (first person, past)
breathest (archaic, present)
breathed (past, second person)
breathedst (archaic, past)
breatheth (archaic, present)
breathed (past, singular)