exhale
UK[eksˈheɪl]US[eksˈheɪl]
v
to breathe air out of your lungs
v
to give off or emit something, such as vapor or smoke
Morpheme Breakdown
ex
hale
ex
out
hale
breathe
Etymology
the word 'exhale' is a direct borrowing from latin 'exhalare', which is a compound of the prefix 'ex-' (meaning 'out') and the verb 'halare' (meaning 'to breathe'). the latin root 'halare' is likely related to the proto-indo-european root anə-, meaning 'to breathe' or 'to blow', which also gave rise to words like 'animate' and 'spirit'. the literal meaning, 'to breathe out', has remained remarkably consistent from its latin origins into modern english, where it can refer both to the biological act of breathing and, metaphorically, to the emission of gases or intangible qualities.
Analysis
Structure: ex (out) + hale (breathe)
ex- (latin prefix, meaning 'out'); hale (from latin 'halare', meaning 'to breathe')
Examples
she took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.
the machine exhaled a plume of white steam.
after holding the yoga pose, remember to exhale completely.