Link Centre Dictionary

transpire

trans·pire

UK/tɹænˈspaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/ US/tɹænˈspaɪ̯ɚ/ uncommon obsolete

verb

1.

pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas

Synonyms
2.

exude water vapor

  • “plants transpire”
3.

come to light; become known

  • “It transpired that she had worked as spy in East Germany”
4.

come about, happen, or occur

  • “Several important events transpired last week”
5.

give off (water) through the skin

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin transpirare (“to breathe through”), from Latin trans (“across”) spirare (“to breathe”). The sense “to become known” is also present in French, while the sense “to happen” is not; the latter probably developed in English from the former.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.