expire
UK[ɪkˈspaɪə(r)]US[ɪkˈspaɪr]
v
(of a document, authorization, or agreement) cease to be valid.
v
(of a period of time) come to an end.
v
(literary) die.
Morpheme Breakdown
ex
spire
ex
out
spire
breathe
Etymology
The word "expire" originates from the Latin verb exspirare, a compound of ex- ("out") and spirare ("to breathe"). Its literal meaning was "to breathe out one's last breath," a direct reference to death. Over time, this concrete sense of life ending was metaphorically extended to the cessation of validity for documents, contracts, or periods of time, as if they too had "breathed their last." This evolution from a physical act of dying to an abstract concept of termination illustrates a common pattern where bodily functions provide metaphors for institutional or temporal processes.
Analysis
Structure: ex (out) + spire (breathe)
- ex: A Latin prefix meaning "out of, from, thoroughly."
- spire: From the Latin root spirare, meaning "to breathe."
Examples
My driver's license will expire next month.
The contract expires at the end of the fiscal year.
(Literary) He expired peacefully in his sleep.