transpire

[ tran-spahyuhr ]

verb (used without object)

, tran·spired, tran·spir·ing.

1. to occur; happen; take place.
2. to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.
3. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
4. to be revealed or become known.

verb (used with object)

, tran·spired, tran·spir·ing.

1. to emit or give off (waste matter, watery vapor, an odor, etc.) through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.

transpire

/ ˌtrænspəˈreɪʃən; trænˈspaɪə /

verb

1. intr to come to light; be known
2. informal.
   intr to happen or occur
3. physiol to give off or exhale (water or vapour) through the skin, a mucous membrane, etc
4. (of plants) to lose (water in the form of water vapour), esp through the stomata of the leaves

Usage

It is often maintained that transpire should not be used to mean happen or occur, as in the event transpired late in the evening , and that the word is properly used to mean become known, as in it transpired later that the thief had been caught . The word is, however, widely used in the former sense, esp in spoken English

Derived Forms

• transpiration, noun
• tranˈspiratory, adjective
• tranˈspirable, adjective

Other Words From

• tran·spir·a·ble adjective
• tran·spir·a·to·ry [tran-, spahyr, -, uh, -tawr-ee], adjective
• un·tran·spir·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of transpire¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin trānspīrāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + spīrāre “to breathe”

Word History and Origins

Origin of transpire¹

C16: from Medieval Latin transpīrāre , from Latin trans- + spīrāre to breathe

Example Sentences

And how could I let such a thing as cancer transpire on my watch?

From The Daily Beast

Whether all this can successively transpire in the wake of whatever happens with health-care legislation is highly problematic.

From The Daily Beast

What his object was in denying knowledge we knew he possessed did not transpire till later.

From Project Gutenberg

To take a present instance: the verb transpire formerly conveyed very expressively its correct meaning, viz.

From Project Gutenberg

An event of so much importance could not be suffered to transpire without being duly solemnized.

From Project Gutenberg

They found the room already occupied by some six or eight street roughs, evidently waiting for what might transpire.

From Project Gutenberg

But an occurrence which now happened distracted attention from the so-called plot, whether real or imaginary did not transpire.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• arise
• befall
• ensue