Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
asphaltite
aspheric
asphodel
asphyxia
asphyxiate
aspic
aspidistra
aspirant
aspirate
aspiration
aspiration pneumonia
aspirational
aspirator
aspire
aspirin
Aspiring, Mount
asquint
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "aspirate" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

aspirate

as·pi·rate [ áspə ràyt ]


transitive verb  (past and past participle as·pi·rat·ed, present participle as·pi·rat·ing, 3rd person present singular as·pi·rates)
Definition:
 
1. pronounce while breathing out: to pronounce a sound or word while breathing out, e.g. the letter "h" at the beginning of words such as "house" and "hat" in standard English

2. inhale something: to inhale something, especially a liquid, into the lungs

3. remove liquid: to remove liquid or gas by suction, especially from a body cavity ( technical )
using a syringe to aspirate the fluid from the cyst



noun  (plural as·pi·rates)
Definition:
 
1. breathy letter: a sound pronounced while breathing out, e.g. the sound of the letter "h" at the beginning of many English words

2. matter removed: matter removed by aspirating



adjective 
Definition:
 
pronounced with breath: pronounced while breathing out

[Late 17th century. < Latin aspirat-, past participle of aspirare "breathe toward" < spirare "breathe"]
Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Upgrade your Encarta experience
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft