inhalation

[ in-huh-ley-shuh n ]

/ ˌɪn həˈleɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inhalation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of inhaling.

an inhalant.

Nearby words

Origin of inhalation

First recorded in 1615–25; inhale + -ation

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

Examples from the Web for inhalation

Inhalation anthrax, one of the most difficult to treat, does not carry a definitive time frame.
CDC: 80 May Have Been Exposed to Anthrax|Abby Haglage|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They like watching lips wrap around the cigarette, the inhalation, and then the blowing of the smoke.
Eight Strange Sex Fetishes|Aurora Snow|December 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The first notice of the inhalation of sulphuric ether that I know of, is in No.
Gossip in the First Decade of Victoria's Reign|John Ashton
In spasms of the glottis, inhalation of sulphuric ether will give quick relief.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture

Inhalation of steam from a pitcher containing boiling water is to be recommended.
The Home Medical Library, Volume II (of VI)|Various
Then I heard him cough, as he always did, when the cigarette was lighted and the first inhalation of smoke flushed his lungs.
The Mutiny of the Elsinore|Jack London
Presently she saw his shoulders raised by the inhalation of a deep-drawn breath, which escaped him in an audible sigh.
A Manifest Destiny|Julia Magruder

British Dictionary definitions for inhalation

inhalation

/ (ˌɪnhəˈleɪʃən) /

noun

the act of inhaling; breathing in of air or other vapours

an inhalant formulation

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 inhalation

inhalation

1620s, noun of action from past participle stem of Latin inhalare (see inhale).

Medicine definitions for inhalation

inhalation

[ ĭn′hə-lā′shən ]

n.

The act or an instance of inhaling.

A solution of a drug or a combination of drugs administered to the respiratory passages as a nebulized mist.

Science definitions for inhalation

inhalation

[ ĭn′hə-lā′shən ]

The act of taking in breath. Inhalation results from the negative pressure in the lungs caused by contraction of the diaphragm, which causes it to move downwards and to expand the chest cavity. The resulting flow of air into the lungs restores a pressure equal to that of the atmosphere. Also called inspiration Compare exhalation.