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Glite Dictionary
heaves

heaves

9.9
A long-lasting illness in horses that makes breathing hard and causes coughing
  • noun
  • /hivz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : heaves
  • The veterinarian diagnosed the horse with heaves after noticing its labored breathing.

Examples

  • After long months of exposure to dust, the horse developed heaves, making it harder to run.

  • Owners should be aware that heaves can lead to serious health issues in horses if not treated.

  • Between the Heaves of Storm

    Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

broken wind
vsheaves
  • UK
9.9

A long-lasting lung problem in a horse that makes breathing out hard

has identical meaning but is an idiomatic alternative name used for the same disease

Surface Forms

heave singular
heaves plural

Morphology

heaves = heave (semi-transparent) = heave + s

The disease name is formed from 'heave' + -s (referring to repeated heaving), so the relation is clear, but the specific medical sense 'a chronic respiratory disease' is a lexicalized usage not fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Heaves comes from the old verb heave, which means 'to lift' or 'to breathe hard'. It is used for the horse disease because the animal's chest and sides seem to 'heave' with each hard breath, so the name describes the heavy, difficult breathing.