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tran·spire (tr n-sp r )v. tran·spired, tran·spir·ing, tran·spires v.tr. To give off (vapor containing waste products) through the pores of the skin or the stomata of plant tissue. v.intr.1. To become known; come to light. 2. Usage Problem To come about; happen or occur. 3. To give off vapor containing waste products, as through animal or plant pores.
[French transpirer, from Medieval Latin tr nsp r re : Latin tr ns-, trans- + Latin sp r re, to breathe.] Usage Note: Transpire has been used since the mid-18th century in the sense "leak out, become publicly known," as in Despite efforts to hush the matter up, it soon transpired that the colonels had met with the rebel leaders. This usage has long been standard. The more common use of transpire to mean "occur" or "happen" has had a more troubled history. Though it dates at least to the beginning of the 19th century, language critics have condemned it for more than 100 years as both pretentious and unetymological. There is some sign that resistance to this sense of transpire is abating, however. In a 1969 survey the usage was acceptable to only 38 percent of the Usage Panel; nearly 20 years later, 58 percent accepted it in the sentence All of these events transpired after last week's announcement. Still, many Panelists who accepted the usage also remarked that it was pretentious or pompous. |
transpire Verb [-spiring, -spired] 1. to come to light; become known 2. Not standard to happen or occur 3. Physiol to give off (water or vapour) through the pores of the skin, etc. 4. (of plants) to lose (water vapour) through the stomata [Latin trans- through + spirare to breathe] transpiration nUSAGE: It is often maintained that transpire should not be used to mean happen or occur, as in the event transpired late in the evening, and that the word is properly used to mean become known, as in it transpired later that the thief had been caught. The word is, however, widely used in the former sense, esp. in spoken English.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Verb | 1. | transpire - pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gasflow, flux - move or progress freely as if in a stream; "The crowd flowed out of the stadium" | | 2. | transpire - exude water vapor; "plants transpire"evaporate, vaporize, vaporise - lose or cause to lose liquid by vaporization leaving a more concentrated residue; "evaporate milk" | | 3. | transpire - come to light; become known; "It transpired that she had worked as spy in East Germany"change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" | | 4. | transpire - come about, happen, or occur; "Several important events transpired last week" | | 5. | transpire - give off (water) through the skin |
transpire verb 1. become known, emerge, come out, be discovered, come to light, be disclosed, be made public verb 2. ( Informal) happen, occur, take place, arise, turn up, come about, come to pass ( archaic) USAGE It is sometimes maintained that transpire should not be used to mean `happen' or `occur', as in the event transpired late in the evening, and that the word is properly used to mean `become known', as in it transpired later that the thief had been caught. The word is, however, widely used in the first sense, especially in spoken English.
Translationstranspire [trænsˈpaɪəʳ] vi (= become known); transpire [trænsˈpaɪəʳ] vi (= happen) → succedere;
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