Translation
to breathe out, to exhale
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Word origin
Built inside Esperanto from the preposition el plus spiri, to breathe. Latin did the identical sum with ex- and spirare and got expirare, the source of English expire.
- Origin
- Esperanto (built), from Latin
- Root
- el + spiri
- English cognates
- expire, respiration
Examples
.
He breathed out and sat down on the chair.
, .
Breathe out through the mouth, not through the nose.
, .
On a cold day you can see the air we breathe out.
The mirror of enspiri, and the two are best learnt
in one go: - in, - out, spiri the
breathing underneath. Say them together a few times and the prefix system stops
being a list of affixes and starts being a set of directions.
Watch what Latin did with the same . Ex- plus e gave
expirare, which is where English gets expire, and English then let the
metaphor take over completely: a passport expires, a contract expires, and only
in the most formal obituary does a person expire in the original sense of
breathing out for the last time. Esperanto's never made that
journey. It means exactly what its two pieces mean, and if you want a contract
to run out you say or senvalidiĝas.
That is the difference between a compound you can still see the joints of and
one that has fused.
The same holds for against English inspire. The built words stay
literal; the borrowed ones carry whatever baggage the source language loaded
onto them. It is one of the quiet advantages of a planned vocabulary, and this
pair is the clearest demonstration of it in the course.
is an exhalation, and senspira is breathless.
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elspiri: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "elspiri" (to breathe out, to exhale): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 26, lesson 4: elspiri, enspiri, ŝargi and 7 more words.