breathing
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.the act of taking air into your lungs and sending it out again.
n.the process of inhaling and exhaling air as part of respiration.
Simple“The doctor told him to take deep breathing exercises to help his lungs.”
In context“The patient's breathing became more regular once the oxygen mask was properly adjusted by the nursing staff.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having life or being alive.
adj.possessing life; currently living or existing.
Simple“Every breathing creature on the planet needs water to survive.”
In context“The poet described the forest as a single breathing organism, interconnected by roots and shared resources.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a small mark used in some languages, like Ancient Greek, to show how to say a sound.
n.a diacritical mark used in Greek orthography to indicate the presence or absence of an initial /h/ sound.
Simple“The student struggled to remember which breathing mark meant the 'h' sound was silent.”
In context“In classical philology, the presence of a rough breathing mark significantly alters the phonetic realisation of the initial vowel.”
UsageUsually distinguished as 'rough breathing' or 'smooth breathing'.
Synonymsaspirationdiacritic
Usage breathing room · breathing techniques
From breathe + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.