What does apnoea mean?
Apnoea is the temporary cessation of breathing, a term used almost entirely in medical and clinical settings. The most familiar form is obstructive sleep apnoea, in which the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing breathing to stop for seconds at a time and fragmenting rest so severely that sufferers may feel exhausted despite a full night in bed. Central apnoea, by contrast, arises when the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. The word also describes breath-holding in freediving and apnoeic spells sometimes seen in infants. Spelled 'apnea' in American English, it derives from Greek roots meaning literally 'without breath'. Because sleep apnoea affects millions worldwide and is linked to hypertension, heart disease, and daytime drowsiness, the word has moved well beyond hospital corridors into ordinary health conversation, making it one of the more practically useful medical terms a layperson can know.
nounA temporary cessation of breathing, especially during sleep or in medical contexts such as newborn resuscitation and diving.
- A temporary cessation of breathing, as occurs in sleep apnoea or certain medical conditions.
- (In freediving and breath-hold contexts) A deliberate or measured period of breath-holding.
"The infant was admitted to the ward after several episodes of apnoea during the night."
"He was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea after years of unexplained daytime fatigue."
"The free diver trained to extend her apnoea beyond four minutes."
Used when counting discrete episodes of stopped breathing, e.g. in clinical reports.
"The monitor recorded eleven apnoeas during the six-hour study."
Every night, millions of people stop breathing hundreds of times without knowing it — that condition is called sleep apnoea.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apnoea
The word comes from Greek 'apnoia', formed from the negative prefix 'a-' and 'pnoē', meaning breath or wind, itself derived from the verb 'pnein', to breathe. It entered English medical vocabulary in the early 18th century, borrowing directly from New Latin. It shares its Greek root with related respiratory terms such as dyspnoea (difficult breathing) and eupnoea (normal breathing), and more distantly with words from the broader 'pneo-' family like pneumonia and pneumatic.
Related word forms
How apnoea is actually used
'Apnoea' is the standard British spelling; American English uses 'apnea'. The term is chiefly medical and clinical in register, though it appears widely in everyday discussion because of the prevalence of sleep apnoea.
Easily confused with apnoea
Apnea is simply the American spelling of the same word; 'apnoea' is the standard British spelling.
Anoxia refers to an absence of oxygen supply to tissues, whereas apnoea refers specifically to the stopping of breathing itself.