English
suspire
Suspire comes from Latin suspīrō ‘to sigh’, and goes back to spīrō ‘to breathe, draw breath, respire’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspīrō‘to breathe, draw breath, respire’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuspīrōas suspīrāre‘to sigh’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596suspire
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspīrō‘to breathe, draw breath, respire’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuspīrōas suspīrāre‘to sigh’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596suspire
Earliest quotation: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “To him that yesterday did suspire.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- ‘to breathe’
through Latin spīrō ‘to breathe, draw breath, respire’
spirit, conspiracy, respiratory, spree, sprite, expire, aspiration, esprit, aspire, conspire, aspirant, 50 more
Today it means
verb To breathe, especially to exhale
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin spīrō / suspire