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asthma

Syllabification: (asth·ma)
Pronunciation: /ˈazmə/
Translate asthma | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of asthma

noun

  • a respiratory condition marked by spasms in the bronchi of the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing. It usually results from an allergic reaction or other forms of hypersensitivity.

Origin:

late Middle English: from medieval Latin asma, from Greek asthma, from azein 'breathe hard'

Remember that asthma is spelled with th after the s, although it is not heard when you say the word.

asthma in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of asthma in the British & World English dictionary

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