aspire

Where does the word "aspire" come from? It comes from Latin aspirare, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Aspire’s story begins in Latin: aspirare meant “to breathe toward, to strive for.” To breathe toward, to strive for, from ad- (toward) and spirare (to breathe). It reached English by 1400s as aspire. Settled as the English word for having a strong desire to achieve something. Today, aspire means to have a strong desire or ambition to achieve something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient aspirare "to breathe toward, to strive for", to breathe toward, to strive for, from ad- (toward) and spirare (to breathe).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s aspire "to have a strong desire to achieve something", settled as the English word for having a strong desire to achieve something.