aspirate

• POS: Adjective, Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: as=pi=rate

CIDE DICTIONARY

aspirate, v. t. [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]

aspirate, n. 

•  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]
•  A mark of aspiration (Bentley.  [1913 Webster]
•  An elementary sound produced by the breath alone; a surd, or nonvocal consonant; as, f, th in thin, etc.  [1913 Webster]

aspirate, 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."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

aspirate, adj., n., & v. Phonet.
--adj.
1 pronounced with an exhalation of breath.
2 blended with the sound of h.
--n.
1 a consonant pronounced in this way.
2 the sound of h.
--v.
1 a tr. pronounce with a breath. b intr. make the sound of h.
2 tr. draw (fluid) by suction from a vessel or cavity.

Etymology

L aspiratus past part. of aspirare: see ASPIRE

THESAURUS

aspirate

breathe, breathe in, coo, draw in, inhale, inspire, maffle, mumble, murmur, mussitate, mutter, sigh, slurp, sniff, sniffle, snuff, snuff in, snuffle, suck, suck in, suckle, susurrate, whisper

ROGET THESAURUS

aspirate

Voice

VB utter, breathe, give utterance, give tongue, cry, ejaculate, rap out, vocalize, prolate, articulate, enunciate, pronounce, accentuate, aspirate, deliver, mouth, whisper in the ear.

Sound

N sound, noise, strain, accent, twang, intonation, tone, cadence, sonorousness, audibility, resonance, voice, aspirate, ideophone, rough breathing, acoustics, phonics, phonetics, phonology, phonography, diacoustics, diaphonics, phonetism, sounding, soniferous, sonorous, sonorific, resonant, audible, distinct, stertorous, phonetic, phonic, phonocamptic, a thousand trills and quivering sounds, forensis strepitus.