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View synonyms for respiration

respiration

[ res-puh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

  1. the act of respiring; inhalation and exhalation of air; breathing.
  2. Biology.
    1. the sum total of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which oxygen is conveyed to tissues and cells, and the oxidation products, carbon dioxide and water, are given off.
    2. an analogous chemical process, as in muscle cells or in anaerobic bacteria, occurring in the absence of oxygen.


respiration

/ ˌrɛspəˈreɪʃən /

noun

  1. the process in living organisms of taking in oxygen from the surroundings and giving out carbon dioxide ( external respiration ). In terrestrial animals this is effected by breathing air
  2. the chemical breakdown of complex organic substances, such as carbohydrates and fats, that takes place in the cells and tissues of animals and plants, during which energy is released and carbon dioxide produced ( internal respiration )
“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


respiration

/ rĕs′pə-rāshən /

  1. The process by which organisms exchange gases, especially oxygen and carbon dioxide, with the environment. In air-breathing vertebrates, respiration takes place in the lungs. In fish and many invertebrates, respiration takes place through the gills. Respiration in green plants occurs during photosynthesis.


respiration

  1. The conversion of oxygen by living things into the energy by which they continue life. Respiration is part of metabolism .


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Notes

Carbon dioxide is a waste product of respiration.
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Other Words From

  • respi·ration·al adjective
  • preres·pi·ration noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of respiration1

1400–50; late Middle English respiracioun < Latin respīrātiōn- (stem of respīrātiō ) a breathing out, equivalent to respīrāt ( us ) (past participle of respīrāre to respire ) + -iōn- -ion
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Example Sentences

In our lungs, respiration can refer to the act of breathing.

Cellular respiration is a chemical process that takes place inside cells and produces energy.

Of course, particles emitted during respiration may pass through thin material, but a low pressure drop may aid diffusion, with particles floating around inside the gaiter until they get stuck on fabric or your skin.

While most dives lasted around an hour, 5 percent exceeded about 78 minutes, suggesting it takes more than twice as long as thought for the whales to switch to anaerobic respiration.

Some ROS are produced in the normal course of organisms’ respiration, metabolism and immunological defense, sometimes for specific functions and sometimes as byproducts.

And some reptiles add a fourth function to the overworked cloacal repository–that of respiration as well.

From higher up, at the level of the hidden bed, came the regular plaintive respiration of Sarah Gailey.

It is produced abundantly when vegetable matters are burnt, as also during respiration, fermentation, and many other processes.

On examining the respiration and pulse, I have never been able to detect any characteristic abnormality.

His eyes are closed, and from the parted lips there issues the regular respiration of sound sleep.

After twelve minutes of artificial respiration the lungs and heart began to act.

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respirablerespirator