inspire

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See also: inspiré and inspirē

English

Etymology

From Middle English inspiren, enspiren, from Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin īnspīrāre, present active infinitive of īnspīrō (“inspire”), itself a loan-translation of Biblical Ancient Greek πνέω (pnéō, “breathe”), from in + spīrō (“breathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Displaced native Old English onbryrdan (literally “to prick in”).

Pronunciation

Verb

inspire (third-person singular simple present inspires, present participle inspiring, simple past and past participle inspired)

  1. (transitive) To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by inspiration.
  2. (transitive) To infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens or exalts; to communicate inspiration to.
    Elders should inspire children with sentiments of virtue.
    The captain's speech was aimed to inspire her team to victory in the final.
    • 1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. , London: Jacob Tonson, , →OCLC:
      Erato, thy poet's mind inspire, / And fill his soul with thy celestial fire.
  3. (intransitive) To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale.
    • 1672, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus, Or, The Anatomy of Consumptions:
      By means of those sulfurous coal smokes the lungs are as it were stifled and extremely oppressed, whereby they are forced to inspire and expire the air with difficulty.
  4. To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing.
  5. (archaic, transitive) To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate.
    • 1687 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Ode for Musick on St. Cecilia’s Day”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: W Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, , →OCLC, canto I, page 371:
      Deſcend ye nine! deſcend and ſing; / The breathing inſtruments inſpire, / VVake into voice each ſilent ſtring, / And ſvveep the ſounding lyre!
  6. (transitive) To spread rumour indirectly.

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (antonym(s) of "inhale"): expire

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

to inhale — see inhale
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

Asturian

Verb

inspire

  1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of inspirar

French

Pronunciation

Verb

inspire

  1. inflection of inspirer:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Portuguese

Verb

inspire

  1. inflection of inspirar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Pronunciation

Verb

inspire

  1. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of inspira

Spanish

Verb

inspire

  1. inflection of inspirar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
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