English
spirable
Spirable comes from Latin spirabilis ‘breathable, respirable’, and goes back to spirō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspirō‘breathe, respire’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEspirabilis‘breathable, respirable’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599spirable
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspirō‘breathe, respire’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEspirabilis‘breathable, respirable’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599spirable
Earliest quotation: 1599, Thomas Nashe: “...but the spirable odor & pestilent steame ascending from…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- ‘to breathe’
spiritual, conspire, spiritus, 48 more
through Latin spirō ‘breathe, respire’
spirit, conspiracy, spree, respiratory, expire, sprite, aspire, aspiration, esprit, spire, aspirant, 50 more
Today it means
adj Capable of being breathed; respirable.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin spirō / spirable