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Origin of the word inspire

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What does the word inspire have to do with air? Kevin Hall created an interesting etymological work entitled Aspire!: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words.

As the title and many references within the book point out, many words based on the root SPIR have their origins in the air, essence or breathing. In fact one of the words addressed is the word inspire and many reviewers have used that one to describe the book itself.

Here is an example of how etymology us useful: Spirit, from spiritus in Latin, means "breath" as well as "soul" or "courage", it bears some semantic similarity to the Latin and Greek roots that sprouted "animation" and "psychology", but the etymology doesn't quite work. Looking further back in time the root peis (or speis) comes from Indo-European origins and addresses the sound of rushing air, breathing.

Aside from the word inspire, the other pages on this website address the science of air pollution, weather and related topics. Following is the list of words.

The Word Inspire and other Words

Word/phrase	Quick definition
Acrospire	New seedling protruding from a seed
Antiperspirant	Consumer product to reduce sweating in underarms
Ardent Spirits	Concentrated alcohol mixture
Artificial Respiration	Forcing air into somebody's lungs to prolong life
Aspirant	Ambitious person
Aspirate	Moving air, or the sound produced by moving air
Aspirate Mutation	Altering pronounciation of specific consonant sounds
Aspiration	Ambition, Hope
Aspiration	Supply of air
Aspirator	Air pump
Aspire	To determine and pursue your dream job
Aspirin	Brand name of acetylsalicylic acid
Awe-Inspiring	Incredible, evoking strong emotion
Broach Spire	Conical spire with a square base and octagonal cross section near the tip
Conspiracy	Plan (often evil) involving two or more persons, Breathing together
Conspiracy Theory	Belief that evil plan exists
Conspiration	Plan (often unlawful) involving two or more persons
Conspirator	Organized crime participant
Conspire	To work with someone and create a manipulative force
Dispirit(ed)	Discourage(d)
Expire	To die, come to an end
High Spirited	Enthusiastic, bold
Holy Spirit	One of the three parts of the Christian Holy Trinity
Hot-Spirited	Possessing a touchy temper
In Spirit	In mood, in essence, in meaning
Inspiration	Breathing air, stimulating
Inspiration	Receiving divine information
Inspire	The word inspire means to move air
Inspire	The word inspire also means to communicate with a spirit
Kindrid Spirit	True companion
Leptospirosis	Bacterial disease obtained from animals
Low-Spirited	Discouraged
Methylated Spirit	Denatured ethynol, diluted with methanol
Negro Spiritual	Acapella African-American Christian music
Perspiration	Emissions released through skin
Perspire	Sweat, release emissions through a membrane
Philatelically Inspired	Describes collectors' items available from the Post Office
Photorespiration	Absorption of oxygen and release of carbon dioxide, associated with rubisco
Preaspiration	Airy sound used in some languages
Pyroacetic Spirit	Acetone, CH2-CO-CH2
Rectified Spirit	Everclear, nearly pure ethanol
Respiration	Breathing, exchanging gases by lungs, gills or other means
Respiratory	Denotes mechanism used for breathing
Respiratory Pigment	Iron or other metal-based molecule that absorbs oxygen
Respiratory Tract	Anatomical mechanism used for breathing
Respire	To breathe
Respirocyte	Artificial blood
Respirometer	Instrument for measuring rate of breathing
SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome	Epidemic respiratory disease which made daily headlines in 2003
Spiracle	Breathing hole in some organisms
Spiral	A curve that goes around a center point, or a centre-line in the case of a helix
Spiral Pass	A method of simultaneously throwing and spinning a football
Spiral Staircase	Fancy helical stairway
Spirant	Airy sound used in many languages
Spire	Blade of grass
Spire	Sharp pointy part of roof (usually on a church)
Spirillum	Spiral shaped bacteria
Spirit	Life, vitality
Spirit	Supernatural, essence or being
Spirit	State of mind, mood
Spirit	Human soul
Spirit Away	To steal
Spirit Lamp	Alcohol-burning light
Spirit Level	Construction level with a bubble of air in an alcohol-filled chamber
Spirit of Wine	Aqua vitae, water of life, concentrated or distilled wine,
Spirit, Ardent	Concentrated alcohol mixture
Spirited	Enthusiastic or elated
Spirits	Concentrated alcohol-containing beverage
Spiritual	Describes works of art dealing with the soul, Christianity or the supernatural,
Spiritual Desertion	Leaving one's own church and faith
Spiritual Leader	Reverend, pastor or other religious leader
Spiritual World	The great beyond, afterlife, hereafter, plane of existance
Spiritualism	Belief in an afterlife or that we can communicate with the dead
Spirituality	Going beyond material life and possessions
Spiro Compound	Molecule with two organic rings connected by a single atom
Spirochete	Helical "gram-negative" bacteria
Spirograph	Brand name of toy capable of drawing spirals
Spirograph, spirometer	Instruments for measuring rate of breathing
Spyro Grya	1970's jazz-pop-fusion crossover band
Suspiration	Breathing
Transpire	To evaporate or perspire
Transpire	To occur (informal)
Uninspired	Boring, bored