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aspirate

Syllabification: (as·pi·rate)
Translate aspirate | into Italian
Definition of aspirate

verb

Pronunciation: /ˈaspəˌrāt/
[with object]
  • 1 (often as adjective aspirated) Phonetics pronounce (a sound) with an exhalation of breath:the aspirated allophone of p occurs in “pie.”
  • [no object] pronounce the sound h at the beginning of a word.
  • 2 Medicine draw (fluid) by suction from a vessel or cavity.
  • breathe (something) in; inhale:some drowning victims don’t aspirate any water
  • 3 (usually as adjective aspirated) provide (an internal combustion engine) with air:the superchargers produce twice the power of standard aspirated enginesSee also normally aspirated.

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈasp(ə)rit/
  • 1 Phonetics an aspirated consonant.
  • the sound h or a character used to represent this sound.
  • 2 Medicine matter that has been drawn from the body by aspiration:gastric aspirate esophageal aspirates

adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈasp(ə)rit/
Phonetics, rare
  • (of a sound) pronounced with an exhalation of breath; aspirated.

Origin:

mid 16th century (as an adjective): from Latin aspiratus 'breathed', past participle of aspirare (see aspire)

aspirate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of aspirate in the British & World English dictionary
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