breathless

English

Etymology

From breath +‎ -less.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹɛθləs/

• Audio (Mid-Atlantic US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: breath‧less

Adjective

breathless (comparative more breathless, superlative most breathless)

1. Having difficulty breathing; gasping.
   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 281:

     In thoughtless and breathless fear I rushed forward to avoid this host of demons, but while flying thus still more frightful and distorted shapes appeared, and I fancied I felt their hands clutching me.

2. That makes one hold one's breath (with excitement etc.).
   • 2017 March 14, Stuart James, “Leicester stun Sevilla to reach last eight after Kasper Schmeichel save”, in the Guardian‎^[1]:

     By that stage Sevilla were down to 10 men and Jorge Sampaoli, their manager, had been sent to the stands as a breathless encounter started to spiral out of control.

   • 1934, Frank Richards, The Magnet: The Mystery of the Vaults:

     The plane buzzed on at a breathless speed. Bob had been in a plane before, and he had no fear. Indeed, but for the strange circumstances, he would have enjoyed that breathless rush through space.

3. Not breathing; dead or apparently so.
4. Having no wind; still, calm or airless.
5. Having a somewhat hysterical tone, using over-emotive language.
   • 2010 January 30, Robert Mendick, Amrit Dhillon, “Revealed: the racy novel written by the worlds most powerful climate scientist”, in Daily Telegraph‎^[2]:

     In breathless prose that risks making Dr Pachauri, who will be 70 this year, a laughing stock among the serious, high-minded scientists,

   • 2018 May 21, T.A. Frank, “Has The Don Jr. bombshell blown up the Trump-Russia case?”, in Vanity Fair‎^[3]:

     The more some of us learn, the harder it gets to take each breathless headline seriously.

Derived terms

• breathlessly
• breathlessness

Translations

having difficulty breathing; gasping

• Bulgarian: задъхан (bg) (zadǎhan), задъхващ се (zadǎhvašt se)
• Esperanto: anhela
• Finnish: hengästynyt
• German: atemlos (de)
• Latin: exanimis
• Maori: tūngāngā, hēmanawa
• Russian: запы́хавшийся (ru) (zapýxavšijsja), задыха́ющийся (ru) (zadyxájuščijsja)
• Spanish: jadeante, sin aliento
• Swedish: tappa andan (verb), andfådd (sv)

that makes one hold one's breath

• Bulgarian: със затаен дъх (sǎs zataen dǎh)
• Finnish: henkeäsalpaava (fi)
• German: atemlos (de)
• Marathi: श्वास रोकणारा m (śvās rokṇārā), श्वास रोकणारी f (śvās rokṇārī), श्वास रोकणारे n (śvās rokṇāre)
• Portuguese: ofegar (pt) m
• Russian: затаи́вший дыха́ние/дух (zataívšij dyxánije/dux)
• Swedish: andlös (sv), tappa andan (verb)

not breathing; apparently dead

• Armenian: անշունչ (hy) (anšunčʻ)
• Bulgarian: бездиханен (bg) (bezdihanen)
• Finnish: hengetön (fi)
• Greek: άπνους (el) (ápnous), ξέπνοος (el) m (xépnoos)

  Ancient: ἄπνοος (ápnoos)

• Marathi: निष्प्राण (niṣprāṇ)
• Russian: бездыха́нный (ru) (bezdyxánnyj)

having no wind; still, calm or airless

• Bulgarian: неподвижен (bg) (nepodvižen)
• Finnish: tyyni (fi)
• Russian: неподви́жный (ru) (nepodvížnyj) (motionless), безве́тренный (ru) (bezvétrennyj) (windless)