What does asthma mean?
Asthma is a chronic condition affecting the airways of the lungs, in which inflammation and narrowing cause recurring episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. These episodes, commonly called asthma attacks, can be triggered by allergens such as pollen and dust mites, respiratory infections, cold air, exercise, smoke, or stress, and they vary widely in frequency and severity from one person to another. The word itself is an uncountable noun borrowed ultimately from the ancient Greek term for 'panting' or 'short-drawn breath', reflecting how long physicians have recognized the characteristic laboured breathing of sufferers. Asthma is typically managed rather than cured, usually through reliever inhalers that open the airways quickly and preventer medications that reduce underlying inflammation. As both a common everyday word and a precise clinical term, it appears constantly in medical writing, public health discussion, and personal accounts of living with the condition.
nounA chronic respiratory condition in which the airways of the lungs become narrowed and inflamed, causing recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing.
- A chronic inflammatory disease of the airways marked by recurring episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.
"She carries her inhaler everywhere in case an asthma attack strikes without warning."
"Cold air and pollen are common triggers that can set off his asthma during outdoor runs."
"Childhood asthma often improves with age, though some people continue to have symptoms into adulthood."
Asthma is an uncountable noun and does not take a plural form in standard usage; occurrences of the condition are expressed as 'asthma attacks' or 'cases of asthma'.
"The clinic treats hundreds of cases of asthma every year."
The word 'asthma' comes straight from the ancient Greek for 'panting' — doctors have been describing this gasping struggle for over two thousand years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of asthma
Asthma entered English in the late Middle English period via Latin, which had taken it directly from Greek ásthma, meaning 'panting' or 'laboured breathing', derived from the Greek verb ázein, 'to breathe hard'. The term was used by ancient Greek medical writers such as Hippocrates to describe difficult breathing, and it has retained essentially the same core sense ever since. Its most notable English derivative is 'asthmatic', used both as an adjective describing the condition and as a noun for a person who suffers from it.
Related word forms
How asthma is actually used
Asthma is an uncountable noun used as a mass noun; it has no plural form in ordinary use. Episodes of the condition are referred to as 'attacks' rather than counting individual 'asthmas'. It is a neutral medical term appropriate in both clinical and everyday contexts.