What does aspirate mean?
Aspirate serves double duty as both a noun and a verb, rooted in the idea of breathing. In phonetics, the noun names the /h/ sound and the audible puff of air released during the articulation of certain consonants — a feature linguists call aspiration. The verb means to pronounce a sound with such a breath, or, quite differently, to draw material into the body by inhalation. Medicine uses the word most urgently in this second sense: a patient who aspirates has inhaled food, liquid, or vomit into the airway, a potentially serious event. Surgeons and radiologists also aspirate deliberately, withdrawing fluid from a cyst or joint with a needle and syringe. Though technical in flavor, the word repays attention because its two senses — a gentle linguistic puff and a grave clinical hazard — spring from the same Latin root, aspirare, 'to breathe toward.' Its pronunciation shifts subtly with its part of speech, ending in '-rut' as a noun and '-rate' as a verb.
A speech sound consisting of the letter h or the breathy consonant /h/; also, the audible puff of air released in pronouncing certain consonants, and, in medicine, fluid withdrawn from the body by suction.
"Speakers of many languages treat the h as a mere aspirate rather than a true consonant."
In clinical contexts, an 'aspirate' refers to the sample of fluid or tissue obtained via needle aspiration, e.g. 'a fine-needle aspirate of the thyroid nodule.'
To inhale fluid or foreign matter into the airway or lungs; to withdraw fluid from the body using suction; or to pronounce a speech sound with an accompanying release of breath.
"Patients with swallowing difficulties are at risk of aspirating liquids while eating."
Stressed on the second syllable's full vowel (/ˈæspəreɪt/) when used as a verb, unlike the noun form.
Used chiefly in phonetics to refer to multiple breath sounds or puffs of air, or in medicine to refer to multiple samples obtained by aspiration.
"The transcription marked all three voiceless stops as aspirates."
Every English speaker aspirates hundreds of times a day without noticing: hold your hand in front of your mouth and say 'pin' versus 'spin' — only one gives you a puff of air, and that invisible difference separates words across whole languages.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aspirate
Aspirate derives from the Latin verb aspirare, formed from ad- ('toward') plus spirare ('to breathe'), literally 'to breathe toward or upon.' It entered English in the early seventeenth century, first carrying the sense of emitting or pronouncing with a breath before acquiring its medical meanings much later. It shares this spirare root with a productive family of English words including inspire, expire, respire, transpire, conspire, and spirit, all of which preserve some notion of breath — whether drawn in, given out, or carried away.
Related word forms
How aspirate is actually used
In everyday use 'aspirate' belongs mainly to medical and phonetic registers; laypeople more often say 'breathe in' or 'inhale'. In medicine, 'aspirate' also functions as a countable noun meaning the sample of fluid withdrawn by aspiration. Note the stress shift between parts of speech: AS-pi-rut as a noun, AS-pi-rate as a verb, mirroring pairs like 'estimate'.
Easily confused with aspirate
Aspiration is the abstract act or quality of breathing out or of ambition; an aspirate is the concrete sound or puff of breath itself.
To expectorate is to cough up and spit out phlegm from the lungs or throat, whereas to aspirate is to draw fluid or foreign material into the airways or to extract it with suction.