breath

Etymology

From Middle English breeth, breth, from Old English brǣþ (“odor, scent, stink, exhalation, vapor”), from Proto-Germanic *brēþiz (“vapour, waft, exhalation, breath”) (compare German Brodem (“haze, vapor; breath”), of a different but related formation), of unknown origin; perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gʰwer- (“smell”) or alternatively from *bʰreh₁- (“to blow; breath, vapor, steam”), but without certain Indo-European cognates outside Germanic.

noun

1. (uncountable) The act or process of breathing.
   I could hear the breath of the runner behind me.
   The child's breath came quickly and unevenly.
2. (countable) A single act of breathing in or out; a breathing of air.
   I took a deep breath and started the test.
   She knew from avalanche safety courses that outstretched hands might puncture the ice surface and alert rescuers. She knew that if victims ended up buried under the snow, cupped hands in front of the face could provide a small pocket of air for the mouth and nose. Without it, the first breaths could create a suffocating ice mask. 2012, John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Time
3. (uncountable) Air expelled from the lungs.
   I could feel the runner's breath on my shoulder.
4. (countable) A rest or pause.
   Let's stop for a breath when we get to the top of the hill.
5. A small amount of something, such as wind, or common sense.
   Even with all the windows open, there is hardly a breath of air in here.
   If she had a breath of common sense, she would never have spoken to the man in the first place.
6. (obsolete) Fragrance; exhalation; odor; perfume.
7. (obsolete) Gentle exercise, causing a quicker respiration.

adj

1. (phonetics, of a consonant or vowel) voiceless, surd; contrasting with voice (breath sounds, voice sounds)

verb

1. Misspelling of breathe.
   In the polar regions one finds dark cold waters with few places to breath.