inspire

See also: inspiré and inspirē

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English inspiren, enspiren, from Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin īnspīrāre, present active infinitive of īnspīrō (“inspire”), itself a loan-translation of Biblical Ancient Greek πνέω (pnéō, “breathe”), from in + spīrō (“breathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Displaced native Old English onbryrdan (literally “to prick in”).

Pronunciation edit

(General American) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ˈspaɪɹ/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ˈspaɪə(ɹ)/
Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Audio (Southern England) (file)

Verb edit

inspire (third-person singular simple present inspires, present participle inspiring, simple past and past participle inspired)

(transitive) To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by inspiration.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Wisdom 15:11:
  He knew not his Maker, and him that inspired into him an active soul.
- c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
  Dawning day new comfort hath inspired.
- 2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, page 172:
  Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.
(transitive) To infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens or exalts; to communicate inspiration to.
Elders should inspire children with sentiments of virtue.

The captain's speech was aimed to inspire her team to victory in the final.
- 1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
  Erato, thy poet's mind inspire, / And fill his soul with thy celestial fire.
(intransitive) To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale.
- 1672, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus, Or, The Anatomy of Consumptions:
  By means of those sulfurous coal smokes the lungs are as it were stifled and extremely oppressed, whereby they are forced to inspire and expire the air with difficulty.
To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing.
(archaic, transitive) To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate.
- 1687 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Ode for Musick on St. Cecilia’s Day”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, canto I, page 371:
  Deſcend ye nine! deſcend and ſing; / The breathing inſtruments inſpire, / VVake into voice each ſilent ſtring, / And ſvveep the ſounding lyre!
(transitive) To spread rumour indirectly.

Synonyms edit

beghast

Antonyms edit

(antonym(s) of "inhale"): expire

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

to infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit

Bulgarian: внушавам (bg) (vnušavam)
Catalan: inspirar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 授意 (zh) (shòuyì), 鼓舞 (zh) (gǔwǔ)
Czech: inspirovat
Danish: inspirere
Dutch: inspireren (nl)
Esperanto: inspiri
Finnish: elähdyttää, innoittaa, inspiroida (fi)
French: inspirer (fr)
Galician: inspirar (gl)
Georgian: შთააგონებს (štaagonebs)
German: inspirieren (de)
Greek: εμπνέω (el) (empnéo)
Hebrew: השרה (hishrá)
Hungarian: sugalmaz (hu), megihlet (hu), ihlet et ad, kelt (hu), ébreszt (hu), inspirál (hu)
Icelandic: hvetja
Italian: ispirare (it)
Ladino: inspirar, meter en korasón
Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
Old English: onbryrdan
Polish: inspirować (pl) impf, zainspirować pf
Portuguese: inspirar (pt)
Romanian: inspira (ro)
Russian: внуша́ть (ru) (vnušátʹ), внуши́ть (ru) (vnušítʹ), вдохновля́ть (ru) (vdoxnovljátʹ), вдохнови́ть (ru) (vdoxnovítʹ)
Swedish: inspirera (sv)
Turkish: esinlemek (tr), ilham vermek
Ukrainian: вселя́ти impf (vseljáty), всели́ти pf (vselýty), наві́ювати impf (navíjuvaty), наві́яти pf (navíjaty), надиха́ти impf (nadyxáty), надихну́ти pf (nadyxnúty)
Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)
Zazaki: pısk gıroten

to infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence

Armenian: ոգեշնչել (hy) (ogešnčʻel)
Bulgarian: вдъхновявам (bg) (vdǎhnovjavam)
Catalan: inspirar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 影响 (zh) (yǐngxiǎng)
Danish: inspirere
Esperanto: inspiri
Finnish: innostaa (fi), inspiroida (fi)
French: inspirer (fr)
Galician: inspirar (gl)
German: inspirieren (de)
Hebrew: השרה (hishrá)
Hungarian: ösztönöz (hu), lelkesít (hu), inspirál (hu)
Latin: afflō, iniciō, īnspīrō
Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
Maori: whakamanawa, toitoi manawa, whakaohooho, whakakipakipa, whakahihiko
Old English: onbryrdan
Romanian: inspira (ro)
Russian: вдохновля́ть (ru) impf (vdoxnovljátʹ), вдохнови́ть (ru) pf (vdoxnovítʹ), воодушевля́ть (ru) impf (vooduševljátʹ), воодушеви́ть (ru) pf (vooduševítʹ)
Spanish: inspirar (es), infundir (es)
Swedish: inspirera (sv)
Ukrainian: надиха́ти impf (nadyxáty), надихну́ти pf (nadyxnúty)
Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)
Zazaki: pısk siyen

to inhale — see inhale

to infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing

Bulgarian: вдишвам (bg) (vdišvam)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 吸入 (zh) (xīrù)
Dutch: beademen (nl)
French: inspirer (fr)
German: beatmen (de), einhauchen (de)
Greek: πνέω (el) (pnéo)
Hungarian: eltölt (hu), elönt (hu), tölt (hu), önt (hu), áthat (hu), átjár (hu)
Italian: ispirare (it)
Latin: afflō
Russian: вдыха́ть (ru) impf (vdyxátʹ), вдохну́ть (ru) impf (vdoxnútʹ)
Ukrainian: вдиха́ти (uk) impf (vdyxáty), вдихну́ти pf (vdyxnúty)

archaic: to breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate

Chinese:
Mandarin: 吹入, 吹奏 (zh) (chuīzòu)
Dutch: beademen (nl)
Italian: ispirare (it)
Latin: īnspīrō

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked