not breathe a word

N n

Definitions of not breathe a word words

verb without object not breathe a word to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire. 1
verb without object not breathe a word (in speech) to control the outgoing breath in producing voice and speech sounds. 1
verb without object not breathe a word to pause, as for breath; take rest: How about giving me a chance to breathe? 1
verb without object not breathe a word to move gently or blow lightly, as air. 1
verb without object not breathe a word to live; exist: Hardly a man breathes who has not known great sorrow. 1
verb without object not breathe a word to be redolent of. 1

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English brethen, derivative of breath

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 96% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

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