respiration
respiration Lexical Profile
respiration Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The physiological action or process of breathing, involving the inhalation of oxygen and the exhalation of carbon dioxide.
"The nurse closely monitored the patient's pulse and respiration throughout the night."
The biochemical process in living cells by which organic compounds are broken down to release energy, typically consuming oxygen and producing carbon dioxide and water.
"In biology class, we learned how mitochondria carry out cellular respiration to generate ATP for the cell."
A single complete act of breathing in and out; a breath.
"A healthy adult at rest normally takes between twelve and twenty respirations per minute."
• Rhymes for respiration
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Latin respiratio ('a breathing, taking breath'), derived from the verb respirare, combining re- ('back, again') and spirare ('to breathe').