English
transpire
Transpire comes from Medieval Latin transpirare ‘to breathe through’, from Latin trans ‘across’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- ‘through, throughout, over’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terh₂-‘through, throughout, over’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂-n̥tsreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trāntsreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrans‘across’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500transpirare‘to breathe through’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600transpirer
- Englishearliest quotation 1832transpire
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terh₂-‘through, throughout, over’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂-n̥tsreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trāntsreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrans‘across’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500transpirare‘to breathe through’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600transpirer
- Englishearliest quotation 1832transpire
Earliest quotation: 1832, Thomas De Quincey, Klosterheim Or: “The story of Paulina's and Maximilian's mutual attachment had…”
The story
The sense “to become known” is also present in French, while the sense “to happen” is not; the latter probably developed in English from the former.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- ‘through, throughout, over’
through, enter, thorough, avatar, tram, tardy, torus, tranquillity, sarai, 20 more
through Latin trans ‘across’
Today it means
verb To give off (vapour, waste matter etc.); to exhale (an odour etc.).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- / transpire