English edit

Etymology edit

Variant spelling of dyspnoea, a learned borrowing from Latin dyspnoea (difficulty breathing), from Ancient Greek δῠ́σπνοιᾰ (dúspnoia, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath), from δῠ́σπνοος (dúspnoos, short of breath, breathing with difficulty, adjective) (also δῠ́σπνους (dúspnous) by contraction) +‎ -ῐᾰ (-ia, suffix forming abstract nouns). Δῠ́σπνοος (Dúspnoos) is derived from δῠσ- (dus-, prefix meaning ‘bad; difficult, hard; unfortunate’) + πνέω (pnéō, to blow; to breathe) (from Proto-Indo-European *pnew- (to breathe; to pant)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming adjectives).[1] The English word is analysable as dys- (prefix meaning ‘abnormal; difficult; disease’) +‎ -pnea (suffix meaning ‘breathing, respiration’).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

dyspnea (countable and uncountable, plural dyspneas) (American spelling, Canadian spelling)

  1. (pathology) Difficult or laboured respiration; shortness of breath.
    Synonym: breathlessness
    Coordinate terms: apnea, bradypnea, eupnea, hyperpnea, orthopnea, platypnea, polypnea, tachypnea, trepopnea
    • 1655, Lazarus Riverius [i.e., Lazare Rivière], “Of Asthma, or Difficulty of Breathing”, in Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole, and William Rowland, transl., The Practice of Physick, [], London: [] Peter Cole, [], →OCLC, 7th book (Of the Diseases of the Breast), page 148:
      In a Diſpnœa, the breath is thick, vvithout noiſe or anhelation, and vvith leſs trouble.
    • 1888, R[euben] Ludlam, “Lecture LIX. Ovariotomy.”, in Medical and Surgical Lectures on the Diseases of Women, a Clinical and Systematic Treatise. [], 6th edition, Chicago, Ill.: Halsey Brothers, →OCLC, page 962:
      During August the tumor again grew rapidly, causing dyspnœa, constipation and general malaise.

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References edit

  1. ^ Compare dyspnoea, n.”, in OED Online  , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023; dyspnoea, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

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Noun edit

dyspnea (uncountable)

  1. dyspnea

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