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ASPIRATION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing
Synonyms:
aspiration; breathing in; inhalation; inspiration; intake
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("aspiration" is a kind of...):
breath (the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "aspiration"):
gasp; pant (a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open)
drag; puff; pull (a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke))
Holonyms ("aspiration" is a part of...):
breathing; external respiration; respiration; ventilation (the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation)
Derivation:
aspirate (inhale (air, water, etc.))
Sense 2
Meaning:
A will to succeed
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("aspiration" is a kind of...):
ambition; ambitiousness (a strong drive for success)
Derivation:
aspire (have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A manner of articulation involving an audible release of breath
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("aspiration" is a kind of...):
articulation (the aspect of pronunciation that involves bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech)
Derivation:
aspirate (pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A cherished desire
Example:
his ambition is to own his own business
Synonyms:
ambition; aspiration; dream
Classified under:
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions
Hypernyms ("aspiration" is a kind of...):
desire (the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "aspiration"):
American Dream (the widespread aspiration of Americans to live better than their parents did)
emulation (ambition to equal or excel)
nationalism (the aspiration for national independence felt by people under foreign domination)
Derivation:
aspire (have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal)
Context examples:
The aspiration of excess fluid between the pericardium and the heart.
(Pericardiocentesis, NCI Thesaurus/ACC)
Meconium aspiration syndrome occurs in 5-10 percent of births and typically occurs when the infant is stressed, as when the infant is past its due date.
(Meconium Aspiration Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)
A slender, hollow needle used for injection or aspiration.
(Hypodermic Needle, NCI Thesaurus)
Causes include aspiration pneumonia, necrotizing pneumonia, necrotizing malignant tumors, and Wegener's granulomatosis.
(Lung Abscess, NCI Thesaurus)
A type of pneumonia resulting from the aspiration of food, liquid, or gastric contents into the upper respiratory tract.
(Aspiration Pneumonitis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
When a thin needle is used, the procedure is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.
(Biopsy, NCI Dictionary)
But, in our youthful ecstasy, I don't think that we really looked before us or behind us; or had any aspiration beyond the ignorant present.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
What he sought was an impassioned realism, shot through with human aspiration and faith.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
And invasive procedures, such as a biopsy or needle aspiration, can cause dangerous bleeding.
(How the spleen keeps blood healthy, NIH)
Many die from aspiration pneumonia as a result of dysphagia.
(Scientists designed the first test to detect dysphagia, University of Granada)
