aspirate

Plural: aspirates

Noun

• a consonant pronounced with aspiration
• The puff of air accompanying the release of a plosive or fricative consonant.
• A sound produced by such a puff of air.
• A mark of aspiration (ʽ) used in Greek; the asper, or rough breathing.
• A sample of fluid, tissue, or other substance that is withdrawn via aspiration (usually through a hollow needle) from a body cavity, cyst, or tumor.

Verb

Verb Forms: aspirated, aspirating, aspirates

• To pronounce a sound with an exhalation of breath.
• remove as if by suction
  • "aspirate the wound"
• pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds
• suck in (air)
• To remove a liquid or gas by means of suction.
• To inhale so as to draw something other than air into one's lungs.
• To produce an audible puff of breath, especially following a consonant, such as the letter "h" at the beginning of house or hat in standard English.

Adj

• Synonym of aspirated.

Examples

• You don’t need to aspirate the ’H’ in ’honor’, but you do need to play it for points.

Synonyms

draw out, suck out, aspirated, breathe in, inhale, inspire

Related Words

asperate, aspiration, aspirational, aspirator, aspire, nonaspirate, unaspirate

Anagrams of aspirate