breather C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives US /ˈbriðɚ/ UK /ˈbriːðə/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a brief pause for rest Let's take a breather before the next climb. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a brief pause for rest breakrestpauserespitebreathlullinterval Word family Related forms breathebreathbreathable Etymology AI details From breathe (from breath, Old English brǣþ) + the agent/instrument suffix -er, in the colloquial sense of a pause long enough to catch one's breath. brǣþ Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # breather **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈbriðɚ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbriːðə/ ## Meanings 1. a brief pause for rest ## Examples - Let's take a breather before the next climb. ## Synonyms - break - rest - pause - respite - breath - lull - interval ## Related Forms - breathe - breath - breathable ## Roots and Affixes - Root: brǣþ ## Etymology From breathe (from breath, Old English brǣþ) + the agent/instrument suffix -er, in the colloquial sense of a pause long enough to catch one's breath. ## AI Etymology Breather comes from breathe (from breath, Old English brǣþ) + the agent/instrument suffix -er, in the colloquial sense of a pause long enough to catch one's breath. The historical trail runs through Old English brǣþ. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means a brief pause for rest. Related forms include breathe, breath, breathable. ## Topics - Word Formation & Derivatives - General Vocabulary markdown