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The Collaborative International Dictionary
spiritus asper

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).

Wiktionary
spiritus asper

n. (context orthography English) A diacritic mark in Ancient Greek used to indicate aspiration of an initial vowel or rho.