*spira*

n. [ Cf. F. aspirant. ] One who aspires; one who eagerly seeks some high position or object of attainment. [ 1913 Webster ]

In consequence of the resignations . . . the way to greatness was left clear to a new set of aspirants. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Aspirated p. pr. & vb. n. Aspirating ] [ L. aspiratus, p. p. of aspirare to breathe toward or upon, to add the breathing h; ad + spirare to breathe, blow. Cf. Aspire. ] To pronounce with a breathing, an aspirate, or an h sound; as, we aspirate the words horse and house; to aspirate a vowel or a liquid consonant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A sound consisting of, or characterized by, a breath like the sound of h; the breathing h or a character representing such a sound; an aspirated sound. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A mark of aspiration (&asper_;) used in Greek; the asper, or rough breathing. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An elementary sound produced by the breath alone; a surd, or nonvocal consonant; as, f, th in thin, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. aspiratus, p. p. ] Pronounced with the h sound or with audible breath. [ 1913 Webster ]

But yet they are not aspirate, i. e., with such an aspiration as h. Holder. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aspiratio, fr. aspirare: cf. F. aspiration. ] 1. The act of aspirating; the pronunciation of a letter with a full or strong emission of breath; an aspirated sound. [ 1913 Webster ]

If aspiration be defined to be an impetus of breathing. Wilkins. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of breathing; a breath; an inspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The act of aspiring of a ardently desiring; strong wish; high desire. “Aspirations after virtue.” Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Vague aspiration after military renown. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Chem.) An apparatus for passing air or gases through or over certain liquids or solids, or for exhausting a closed vessel, by means of suction. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) An instrument for the evacuation of the fluid contents of tumors or collections of blood. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to breathing; suited to the inhaling of air [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Of or pertaining to or affecting both the heart and the lungs and their functions; as, cardiopulmonary resuscitation. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A kind of spiral curve found in certain univalve shells. Agassiz. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Conspiracies [ See Conspiration. ] 1. A combination of people for an evil purpose; an agreement, between two or more persons, to commit a crime in concert, as treason; a plot. [ 1913 Webster ]

When shapen was all his conspiracy
From point to point. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

They made a conspiracy against [ Amaziah ]. 2 Kings xiv. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

I had forgot that foul conspiracy Of the beast Caliban and his confederates. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A concurence or general tendency, as of circumstances, to one event, as if by agreement. [ 1913 Webster ]

A conspiracy in all heavenly and earthly things. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) An agreement, manifesting itself in words or deeds, by which two or more persons confederate to do an unlawful act, or to use unlawful to do an act which is lawful; confederacy.

Syn. -- Combination; plot; cabal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conspirans, p. pr. of conspirare: cf. F. conspirant. ] Engaging in a plot to commit a crime; conspiring. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. conspiration, L. conspiratio. ] Agreement or concurrence for some end or purpose; conspiracy. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

As soon as it was day, certain Jews made a conspiration. Udall. [ 1913 Webster ]

In our natural body every part has a nacassary sympathy with every other, and all together form, by their harmonious onspiration, a healthy whole. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who engages in a conspiracy; a plotter. 2 Sam. xv. 31. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. relating to or characteristic of conspiracy or conspirators; as, a conspiratorial whisper.
Syn. -- conspirative. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Capable of being inspired or drawn into the lungs; inhalable; respirable; admitting inspiration. Harvey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. inspiration, L. inspiratio. See Inspire. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of inspiring or breathing in; breath; specif. (Physiol.), the drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm; -- the opposite of expiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act or power of exercising an elevating or stimulating influence upon the intellect or emotions; the result of such influence which quickens or stimulates; as, the inspiration of occasion, of art, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your father was ever virtuous, and holy men at their death have good inspirations. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Theol.) A supernatural divine influence on the prophets, apostles, or sacred writers, by which they were qualified to communicate moral or religious truth with authority; a supernatural influence which qualifies men to receive and communicate divine truth; also, the truth communicated. [ 1913 Webster ]

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. 2 Tim. iii. 16. [ 1913 Webster ]

The age which we now live in is not an age of inspiration and impulses. Sharp. [ 1913 Webster ]

Plenary inspiration (Theol.), that kind of inspiration which excludes all defect in the utterance of the inspired message. --
Verbal inspiration (Theol.), that kind of inspiration which extends to the very words and forms of expression of the divine message. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Pertaining to inspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Imparting inspiration{ 2 }; as, an inspirational sermon. [ PJC ]

n. One who holds to inspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mach.) A kind of injector for forcing water by steam. See Injector, n., 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or aiding, inspiration; as, the inspiratory muscles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. interspiratio. See Inter-, and Spirit. ] Spiritual inspiration at separate times, or at intervals. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. irrespirabilis: cf. F. irrespirable. See Respirable. ] Unfit for respiration; not having the qualities necessary to support animal life; as, irrespirable air. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Multi- + spiral. ] (Zool.) Having numerous spiral coils round a center or nucleus; -- said of the opercula of certain shells. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. musculus muscle + E. spiral. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the muscles, and taking a spiral course; -- applied esp. to a large nerve of the arm. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. paucus few + E. spiral. ] (Zool.) Having few spirals, or whorls; as, a paucispiral operculum or shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being perspirable. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. perspirable. ] 1. Capable of being perspired. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Emitting perspiration; perspiring. [ R. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. perspiration. ] 1. The act or process of perspiring. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is excreted through the skin; sweat. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ A man of average weight throws off through the skin during 24 hours about 18 ounces of water, 300 grains of solid matter, and 400 grains of carbonic acid gas. Ordinarily, this constant exhalation is not apparent, and the excretion is then termed insensible perspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Performing the act of perspiration; perspiratory. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of, pertaining to, or producing, perspiration; as, the perspiratory ducts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. respirabilit&unr_;. ] The quality or state of being respirable; respirableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. respirable. ] Suitable for being breathed; adapted for respiration. -- Re*spir"a*ble*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

n. [ L. respiratio: cf. F. respiration. See Respire. ] 1. The act of respiring or breathing again, or catching one's breath. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Relief from toil or suffering: rest. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Till the day
Appear of respiration to the just
And vengeance to the wicked. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Interval; intermission. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Physiol.) The act of resping or breathing; the act of taking in and giving out air; the aggregate of those processes bu which oxygen is introduced into the system, and carbon dioxide, or carbonic acid, removed. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Respiration in the higher animals is divided into: (a) Internal respiration, or the interchange of oxygen and carbonic acid between the cells of the body and the bathing them, which in one sense is a process of nutrition. (b) External respiration, or the gaseous interchange taking place in the special respiratory organs, the lungs. This constitutes respiration proper. Gamgee. [ 1913 Webster ] In the respiration of plants oxygen is likewise absorbed and carbonic acid exhaled, but in the light this process is obscured by another process which goes on with more vigor, in which the plant inhales and absorbs carbonic acid and exhales free oxygen. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to respiration; as, respirational difficulties. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to respiration; as, respirative organs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. respirateur. ] A divice of gauze or wire, covering the mouth or nose, to prevent the inhalation of noxious substances, as dust or smoke. Being warmed by the breath, it tempers cold air passing through it, and may also be used for the inhalation of medicated vapors. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to respiration; serving for respiration; as, the respiratory organs; respiratory nerves; the respiratory function; respiratory changes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Respiratory foods. (Physiol.) See 2d Note under Food, n., 1. --
Respiratory tree (Zool.), the branched internal gill of certain holothurians. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. spirabilis. ] Capable of being breathed; respirable. [ Obs. ] Nash. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.[ L. spiraculum, fr. spirare to breathe: cf. F. spiracule. See Spirit. ] 1. (Anat.) The nostril, or one of the nostrils, of whales, porpoises, and allied animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) (a) One of the external openings communicating with the air tubes or tracheae of insects, myriapods, and arachnids. They are variable in number, and are usually situated on the sides of the thorax and abdomen, a pair to a segment. These openings are usually elliptical, and capable of being closed. See Illust. under Coleoptera. (a) A tubular orifice communicating with the gill cavity of certain ganoid and all elasmobranch fishes. It is the modified first gill cleft. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Any small aperture or vent for air or other fluid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to a spiracle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, fr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; a coil. ] (Bot.) A genus of shrubs or perennial herbs including the meadowsweet and the hardhack. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, the meadowsweet (Spiraea); formerly, designating an acid which is now called salicylic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. spiral. See Spire a winding line. ] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis, and at the same time rising or advancing forward; winding like the thread of a screw; helical. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Geom.) Of or pertaining to a spiral; like a spiral. [ 1913 Webster ]

Spiral gear, or
Spiral wheel (Mach.), a gear resembling in general a spur gear, but having its teeth cut at an angle with its axis, or so that they form small portions of screws or spirals. --
Spiral gearing, a kind of gearing sometimes used in light machinery, in which spiral gears, instead of bevel gears, are used to transmit motion between shafts that are not parallel. --
Spiral operculum, an operculum whih has spiral lines of growth. --
Spiral shell, any shell in which the whorls form a spiral or helix. --
Spiral spring. See the Note under Spring, n., 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. spirale. See Spiral, a. ] 1. (Geom.) A plane curve, not reentrant, described by a point, called the generatrix, moving along a straight line according to a mathematical law, while the line is revolving about a fixed point called the pole. Cf. Helix. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything which has a spiral form, as a spiral shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Equiangular spiral, a plane curve which cuts all its generatrices at the same angle. Same as Logarithmic spiral, under Logarithmic. --
Spiral of Archimedes, a spiral the law of which is that the generatrix moves uniformly along the revolving line, which also moves uniformly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or states of being spiral. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a spiral form, manner, or direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Spiral + zooid. So called because they often have a spiral form when contracted. ] (Zool.) One of the special defensive zooids of certain hydroids. They have the form of long, slender tentacles, and bear lasso cells. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. spirans, -antis, p. pr. of spirare to breathe. See Spirit. ] (Phon.) A term used differently by different authorities; -- by some as equivalent to fricative, -- that is, as including all the continuous consonants, except the nasals m, n, ng; with the further exception, by others, of the liquids r, l, and the semivowels w, y; by others limited to f, v, th surd and sonant, and the sound of German ch, -- thus excluding the sibilants, as well as the nasals, liquids, and semivowels. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 197-208. [ 1913 Webster ]