aspiration means the act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly after what is elevated or spiritual (with common adjunct adpositions being to and of).
aspiration is pronounced /ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/.
Why “aspiration” is a great word
A strong desire or ambition to achieve something significant or elevated. From Latin aspīrātiōn-em, from aspīrāre (to breathe upon, aspire), from ad- (to) + spīrāre (to breathe), first recorded in English 1375–1425. Unlike "ambition," which often implies a pragmatic, self-advancing drive, or "goal," a specific and concrete objective, aspiration is the animating breath behind them, a loftier and more patient longing. It is the architect's sketch for a city that will never be built, the musician's ear straining for a harmony not yet written, the mountaineer pausing at dawn to watch the summit emerge from cloud—each breath a small negotiation with gravity, each moment of wanting already half-satisfied by the act of looking upward.
Etymology
From aspirate + -ion or borrowed from Latin aspīrātiō.
noun
- The act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly after what is elevated or spiritual (with common adjunct adpositions being to and of).“Riley has an aspiration to become a doctor.”
- The action of aspirating.
- A burst of air that follows the release of some consonants.“In Cambodian, aspiration is phonemic, so /p/ and /pʰ/ are different phonemes.”
- The withdrawal of fluid, tissue, or other substance, usually through a hollow needle from a body cavity, cyst, or tumor.
- The silent breaking h beginning some French words, largely of Germanic origin.
- The process of lenition involving writing a digraph with h, especially at the beginning of a word.
Words closest in meaning
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