RESPIRA'TION, noun [Latin respiratio.] 1. The act of breathing; the act of inhaling air into the lungs and again exhaling or expelling it, by which animal life is supported. The respiration of fishes, [for these cannot live long without air, ] appears to be performed by the air contained in the water acting on the gills. 2. Relief from toil.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI