perspiration

[pur-spuh-rey-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perspiration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a salty, watery fluid secreted by the sweat glands of the skin, especially when very warm as a result of strenuous exertion; sweat.

the act or process of perspiring.

Origin of perspiration

1605–15, in sense “a breathing through”; 1620–30 for current senses; < New Latin perspīrātiōn- (stem of perspīrātiō) imperceptible sweating, literally, a breathing through. See perspire, -ation

Synonyms for perspiration

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perspiration ON THESAURUS.COM

1. Perspiration, sweat refer primarily to moisture exuded by animals and people from the pores of the skin. Perspiration is often regarded as the more polite word, and is often used overfastidiously by those who consider sweat coarse; but sweat is a strong word and in some cases obviously more appropriate: a light perspiration; the sweat of his brow. Sweat is always used when referring to animals or objects: Sweat drips from a horse's flanks. It may also be used metaphorically of objects: Sweat forms on apples after they are gathered.

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

Related Words for perspiration

transpiration, exudation, sudation, diaphoresis, excreta, sudor, egesta

Examples from the Web for perspiration

Contemporary Examples of perspiration

He was grabbing my hips and he was pouring with perspiration and he had this cheesy smile.
From Playboy Prince to Dirty Old Man?
Tom Sykes
January 5, 2015
The New Moon insists on persistence and perspiration in equal measure.
Your Week: What the Stars Predict
Starsky + Cox
August 28, 2011
Perspiration is a crucial ingredient, but even a dab of it will do you proud.
What the Stars Predict for Your Week
Starsky + Cox
August 20, 2011
They say that success is 10 per cent inspiration and 90 per cent perspiration, and perspiration didn't really interest her.
A Fashion Icon's Life After Death
Jacob Bernstein
July 7, 2010

Historical Examples of perspiration

His face was livid, and great beads of perspiration stood on his brow.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
The spasm loosed beads of perspiration which stood cold on his forehead.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
The perspiration stood in beads on the boy's sallow forehead; but he said nothing.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa
The perspiration of the literary labour dropped from his brow.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
Very red and covered with perspiration, Doctor Bonamy waved his arms.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for perspiration

perspiration

noun

the act or process of insensibly eliminating fluid through the pores of the skin, which evaporates immediately

the sensible elimination of fluid through the pores of the skin, which is visible as droplets on the skin

the salty fluid secreted through the pores of the skin; sweat

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 perspiration

1610s, from French perspiration (1560s), noun of action from perspirer "perspire," from Latin perspirare "blow or breathe constantly," from per- "through" (see per) + spirare "to breathe, blow" (see spirit (n.)). Applied to excretion of invisible moistures through the skin (1620s), hence used as a euphemism for "sweat" from 1725.

perspiration in Medicine

perspiration

[pûr′spə-rā′shən]

n.

The fluid, consisting of water with small amounts of urea and salts, that is excreted through the pores of the skin by the sweat glands.

The act or process of excreting this fluid through the pores of the skin.

Related formsper•spir′a•to′ry (pər-spīr′ə-tôr′ē, pûr′spər-ə-) adj.