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Glite Dictionary
🕵️ To become known 💧 To release vapor 🕳️ To pass through
to transpire

to transpire

1 7.9
To give off water vapor through leaves or skin
  • verb
  • /trænˈspaɪər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : transpirar
  • It's dry, but a mature forest transpires enough moisture into the air to create its own rain.

Examples

  • The amount of water that plants transpire varies greatly geographically and over time.

  • During the summer months, a single large tree can transpire hundreds of gallons every day through its porous leaves.

  • Many green-stemmed shrubs and trees have relatively wide vessels in the xylem to carry water from wet soil to the transpiring shoots (Gibson 1996).

    Academic text (1998)

  • It's dry, but a mature forest transpires enough moisture into the air to create its own rain.

Synonyms

to transpirate
vsto transpire
  • Specialized
9.9

To pass through small holes or spaces in a material, like water vapor through leaves

is specific to living plants or animals giving off water vapor through surfaces

How Much

to sweat
494 1.0
to transpire
  • Specialized
1 7.9
to evaporate
45 3.5

Surface Forms

transpire infinitive
transpired past
transpired past participle
transpiring present participle
transpires third person singular

Morphology

transpire = spire (semi-transparent) = trans + spire

Formally 'trans-' (through) + the combining root 'spire' (breathe/emit) yields the botanical sense, but the combining root is not a familiar standalone word for many learners.

Etymology

Transpire comes from trans- 'across' and spirare 'to breathe', and the same breathing root is in respire. Think of a leaf 'breathing across' as water leaves its surface, which is why plants 'transpire' by giving off water vapour.