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| 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) |
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| Definition: |
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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
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2. inhale something: to inhale something, especially a liquid, into the lungs
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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
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noun (plural as·pi·rates) |
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| Definition: |
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1. breathy letter: a sound pronounced while breathing out, e.g. the sound of the letter "h" at the beginning of many English words
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2. matter removed: matter removed by aspirating
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adjective |
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| Definition: |
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pronounced with breath: pronounced while breathing out
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| [Late 17th century. < Latin aspirat-, past participle of aspirare "breathe toward" < spirare "breathe"] |