Standard Lemma guide

preaspiration

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˌpɹiːˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən

1

noun

Meaning 1

A period of voiceless breathing that precedes some consonants in some languages—a sort of mirror-image of aspiration.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh2- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh2i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English aspire Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English aspiration English preaspiration From pre- + aspiration.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: Präaspiration — period of voiceless breathing
  • Icelandic: aðblástur — period of voiceless breathing
  • Polish: przydech — period of voiceless breathing
  • Scottish Gaelic: ro-analachadh — period of voiceless breathing