Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To come about; happen or occur.
- intransitive verb To become known; come to light.
- intransitive verb To give off vapor containing waste products, as through animal or plant pores.
- intransitive verb To give off (vapor containing waste products) through the pores of the skin or the stomata of plant tissue.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To emit through the excretories of the skin or lungs; send off in vapor; exhale.
- To send out an exhalation; exhale.
- To pass through or out of some body, as an exhalation; specifically, to be emitted through the excretories of the skin or lungs; exhale; pass off from the body in vapor, as in insensible perspiration.
- In botany to exhale watery vapor. See
transpiration . 2. - To escape from secrecy; become public gradually; come to light; ooze out.
- To happen or come to pass; occur.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb (Physiol.) To excrete through the skin; to give off in the form of vapor; to exhale; to perspire.
- transitive verb (Bot.) To evaporate (moisture) from living cells.
- intransitive verb (Physiol.) To pass off in the form of vapor or insensible perspiration; to exhale.
- intransitive verb (Bot.) To evaporate from living cells.
- intransitive verb To escape from secrecy; to become public.
- intransitive verb To happen or come to pass; to occur.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb come about, happen, or occur
- verb exude water vapor
- verb come to light; become known
- verb give off (water) through the skin
- verb pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Do you know the history of his aversion to the word transpire
Life of Johnson Boswell, James, 1740-1795 1887
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How many toilsome and anxious hours he passed in the war department, and how well he understood all that was transpiring and all that ought to transpire, is made apparent in the letters he himself wrote to Gen. McClellan during the fifteen months of his command.
Abraham Lincoln: The Just Magistrate, the Representative Statesman, the Practical Philanthropist 1865
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She cautioned Morton not to let a word transpire that they had held any conversation during the time they had been together, and to speak but little before Mrs. Belton, lest she should suspect what had really happened.
The Child of Mystery 1808
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Do you know the history of his aversion to the word transpire? '
Boswell's Life of Johnson Abridged and edited, with an introduction by Charles Grosvenor Osgood James Boswell 1767
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Do you know the history of his aversion to the word transpire?’
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Evapotranspiration occurs when plants secrete or "transpire" water through pores in their leaves.
Green roofs 2008
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Just as you release water vapor when you breathe, plants do, too — although the term "transpire" is more appropriate than "breath."
Transpiration 2007
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Possibly some newspaper correspondent in Eastbourne would hear of the kidnaping exploit, and describe the Eastern aspect of its chief actor, Mrs. Forbes's name would "transpire" in the paragraph, and, by putting two and two together the lynx-eyed journalism of London would ferret out a good deal of the truth.
Number Seventeen 1915
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These claims do not differ in their character from ordinary business transactions such as transpire every day between private persons or business corporations.
A Supplement to A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents William McKinley 1872
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Everything that does kind of transpire -- the whole we've-got-no-sugar thing and a fracas with sister Mary not providing customer service -- seem so contrived and, frankly, in consequential.
vanishedone commented on the word transpire
n. 'A male vampire who dresses like a female vampire.' (Spotted here)
March 25, 2009
bilby commented on the word transpire
What, only one? We could have a whole list of vampires, methinks.
March 25, 2009
reesetee commented on the word transpire
Haha!
March 25, 2009
vanishedone commented on the word transpire
Okay, a list there shall be.
March 25, 2009
frogapplause commented on the word transpire
What about a female vampire who dresses like a male vampire?
October 29, 2009
fbharjo commented on the word transpire
Is a humpire a vampire who hums while he (she) works? You never know where he (she) will call a strike. Get seriesous! no cojones!
October 29, 2009