perspire

[per-spahyuh r] /pərˈspaɪər/
verb (used without object), perspired, perspiring.
1.
to secrete a salty, watery fluid from the sweat glands of the skin, especially when very warm as a result of strenuous exertion; sweat.
verb (used with object), perspired, perspiring.
2.
to emit through pores; exude.
Origin
1640-50; < Latin perspīrāre to blow constantly (said of the wind), breathe through; in Neo-Latin: to sweat imperceptibly. See per-, inspire
Related forms
perspirability, noun
perspirable, adjective
perspiringly, adverb
perspiry, adjective
unperspired, adjective
unperspiring, adjective
Examples from the web for perspire
  • For example, sweat and perspire refer to the same bodily function.
  • Lest the queen perspire, it has a layer of tint that's both effective and hardly noticeable.
  • Dogs and cats cannot perspire and can only dispel heat by panting and through the pads of their feet.
  • They also perspire and pant to cool themselves during the hottest times.
  • Dogs and cats do not perspire and can only dispel heat by panting and through the pads of their feet.
  • The shoepack boot did not breathe well, causing a soldier's feet to perspire excessively.
  • Dogs and cats can't perspire and can only dispel heat by panting and through the pads of their feet.
  • For pets, overheating happens even faster because they don't have the ability to perspire to dispel heat.
  • The patient may perspire heavily, and hands and/or feet can be cold to the touch.
  • Your body's cooling system relies on your body staying properly hydrated, you perspire and the evaporation cools your skin.
British Dictionary definitions for perspire

perspire

/pəˈspaɪə/
verb
1.
to secrete or exude (perspiration) through the pores of the skin
Derived Forms
perspiringly, adverb
Word Origin
C17: from Latin perspīrāre to blow, from per- (through) + spīrāre to breathe; compare inspire
Word Origin and History for perspire
v.

1640s, "to evaporate through the pores," a back-formation from perspiration and in part from Latin perspirare "to breathe, to blow constantly" (see perspiration). Meaning "to sweat" is a polite usage attested from 1725. Medical men tried to maintain a distinction between "sensible" (sweat) and "insensible" perspiration:

[I]t is sufficient for common use to observe, that perspiration is that insensible discharge of vapour from the whole surface of the body and the lungs which is constantly going on in a healthy state; that it is always natural and always salutary; that sweat, on the contrary, is an evacuation, which never appears without some uncommon effort, or some disease to the system, that it weakens and relaxes, and is so far from coinciding with perspiration, that it obstructs and checks it. [Charles White, "A Treatise on the Management of Pregnant and Lying-in Women," London, 1791]
Related: Perspired; perspiring.

perspire in Medicine

perspire per·spire (pər-spīr')
v. per·spired, per·spir·ing, per·spires
To excrete perspiration through the pores of the skin.