Dictionary.com
definitions

apnea

or ap·noe·a

[ap-nee-uh, ap-nee-uh]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR apnea ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Pathology.

a temporary suspension of breathing, occurring in some newborns (infant apnea) and in some adults during sleep (sleep apnea).
asphyxia.

Origin of apnea

1710–20; < New Latin apnoea < Greek ápnoia, equivalent to ápno(os) breathless (a- a-6 + pno-, variant stem of pneîn to breathe + -os adj. suffix) + -ia -ia
Related formsap·ne·al, ap·ne·ic, ap·noe·al, ap·noe·ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for apnea

blow, recess, layoff, intermission, interval, hiatus, rest, pause, lull, suspension, respite, letup, caesura, interlude, lacuna, downtime, breather, halt, cutoff, apnea
Word Origin and History for apnea
n.

"suspension of breathing," also apnoea, 1719, Modern Latin, from Greek apnoia "absence of respiration," from apnos "without breathing," from a- "not" (see a- (3)) + pnein "to breathe" (see pneuma).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
apnea in Medicine

apnea

[ăp′nē-ə, ăp-nē′ə]

n.

Temporary absence or cessation of breathing.
Related formsap•ne′ic adj. n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
apnea in Science

apnea

[ăp′nē-ə, ăp-nē′ə]

The temporary absence or cessation of breathing.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.