perspire

C2 Topic:The Human Body
US /pɚˈspaɪr/ UK /pəˈspaɪə/
verb Freq #54726

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    to produce sweat through the pores of the skin; a formal word for sweat

    Even in the shade, the runners continued to perspire heavily.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 verb · to produce sweat through... sweatsudate
Word family
Forms perspiredperspiring
Derived forms perspirationperspiringperspirable
Related forms respiretranspireinspire

Etymology

Borrowed through French perspirer from Latin perspirare ("to breathe or blow through"), formed from per- ("through") + spirare ("to breathe"). Its English physiological sense arose from the former belief that moisture passed invisibly through the skin like breath.

Topics

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