aspirate

[ verb as-puh-reyt; noun, adjective, as-per-it ]

/ verb ˈæs pəˌreɪt; noun, adjective, ˈæs pər ɪt /

verb (used with object), as·pi·rat·ed, as·pi·rat·ing.

Phonetics.

to articulate (a speech sound, especially a stop) so as to produce an audible puff of breath, as with the first t of total, the second t being unaspirated.
to articulate (the beginning of a word or syllable) with an h-sound, as in which, pronounced (hwich), or hitch as opposed to witch or itch.

Medicine/Medical.

to remove (a fluid) from a body cavity by use of an aspirator or suction syringe.
to inhale (fluid or a foreign body) into the bronchi and lungs, often after vomiting.

to draw or remove by suction.

noun

Phonetics. a speech sound having as an obvious concomitant an audible puff of breath, as initial stop consonants or initial h-sounds.

Medicine/Medical. the substance or contents that have been aspirated.

adjective

Phonetics. (of a speech sound) pronounced with or accompanied by aspiration; aspirated.

Nearby words

aspic, aspidistra, aspinwall, aspirant, aspirata, aspirate, aspiration, aspiration biopsy, aspiration pneumonia, aspirational, aspirator

Origin of aspirate

1660–70; < Latin aspīrātus breathed upon (past participle of aspīrāre). See aspire, -ate¹

Related forms

non·as·pi·rate, noun, adjectivenon·as·pi·rat·ed, adjectivenon·as·pi·rat·ing, adjectiveun·as·pi·rat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aspirates

Aspirates are common in German, but practically unknown in standard French.
The Sounds of Spoken English|Walter Rippmann
The voice came sharply, almost sibilantly, with the aspirates of the race.
The Tempering|Charles Neville Buck
Perplexity of both parents here required a short explanation of middle-class jocularity turning on neglect or excess of aspirates.
A Likely Story|William De Morgan
From the point of view of literature Mr. Kipling is a genius who drops his aspirates.
Selected Prose of Oscar Wilde|Oscar Wilde

The aspirates ph, ch, th were pronounced very nearly like our stressed Eng.
New Latin Grammar|Charles E. Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for aspirates

aspirate

verb (ˈæspɪˌreɪt) (tr)

phonetics

to articulate (a stop) with some force, so that breath escapes with audible friction as the stop is released
to pronounce (a word or syllable) with an initial h

to draw in or remove by inhalation or suction, esp to suck (air or fluid) from a body cavity or to inhale (fluid) into the lungs after vomiting

to supply air to (an internal-combustion engine)

noun (ˈæspɪrɪt)

phonetics

a stop pronounced with an audible release of breath
the glottal fricative represented in English and several other languages as h

adjective (ˈæspɪrɪt)

phonetics (of a stop) pronounced with a forceful and audible expulsion of breath

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for aspirates

aspirate

[ ăs′pə-rāt′ ]

v.

To take in or remove by aspiration.

n.

A substance removed by aspiration.