aspirate

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

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.

Origin of aspirate

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

Related formsnon·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

Historical Examples of aspirates

He explained that all aspirates are dropped in modern Greek.
The Incomparable 29th and the "River Clyde"
George Davidson
When excited Mrs. Marlings had some difficulty with her aspirates.
Adventures of Bindle
Herbert George Jenkins
In moments of rapid action the sergeant major evidently had difficulty with his aspirates.
The Sky Pilot in No Man's Land
Ralph Connor
He complained of the shut mouth, the claquement des dents, and the predominance of aspirates in our pronunciation.
Visits and Sketches at Home and Abroad with Tales and Miscellanies Now First Collected
Anna Jameson
The subvocals are sometimes called voice consonants and the aspirates breath consonants.
Orthography
Elmer W. Cavins

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

Word Origin and History for aspirates

aspirate

1725, "sound of the letter 'H'," especially at the beginning of a word, from Latin aspiratio "a breathing, exhalation, the pronunciation of the letter H" (see aspire).

aspirate

"to pronounce with audible breath," 1700; perhaps a back-formation from aspiration (n.2), or from French aspirer (1520s), or directly from Latin aspiratus, past participle of aspirare (see aspire). Related: Aspirated; aspirating.

aspirates in Medicine

aspirate

[ăs′pə-rāt′]

v.

To take in or remove by aspiration.

n.

A substance removed by aspiration.