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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Breathing while

Breathing \Breath"ing\, n.

  1. Respiration; the act of inhaling and exhaling air.

    Subject to a difficulty of breathing.
    --Melmoth.

  2. Air in gentle motion.

  3. Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration; as, the breathings of the Spirit.

  4. Aspiration; secret prayer. ``Earnest desires and breathings after that blessed state.''
    --Tillotson.

  5. Exercising; promotion of respiration.

    Here is a lady that wants breathing too; And I have heard, you knights of Tyre Are excellent in making ladies trip.
    --Shak.

  6. Utterance; communication or publicity by words.

    I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose.
    --Shak.

  7. Breathing place; vent.
    --Dryden.

  8. Stop; pause; delay.

    You shake the head at so long a breathing.
    --Shak.

  9. Also, in a wider sense, the sound caused by the friction of the outgoing breath in the throat, mouth, etc., when the glottis is wide open; aspiration; the sound expressed by the letter h.

  10. (Gr. Gram.) A mark to indicate aspiration or its absence. See Rough breathing, Smooth breathing, below. Breathing place.

    1. A pause. ``That c[ae]sura, or breathing place, in the midst of the verse.''
      --Sir P. Sidney.

    2. A vent.

      Breathing time, pause; relaxation.
      --Bp. Hall.

      Breathing while, time sufficient for drawing breath; a short time.
      --Shak.

      Rough breathing ( spiritus asper) ([spasp]). See 2d Asper, n.

      Smooth breathing ( spiritus lenis), a mark (') indicating the absence of the sound of h, as in 'ie`nai (ienai).

Usage examples of "breathing while".

And now I was here, and she was dead, and Dornan was alive, and Tammy: alive and walking around, laughing, breathing while Julia was dead.

Decanter in one hand, she sat on the sea berth, concentrated on breathing while she took an inventory of the cabin.

She knelt and watched their breathing while she took the measure of their pulses.

I settled in again, remembering the idea of breathing while hanging on to the deep sense of the world around me, and then, tentatively, opened my eyes.