[mass noun]the action of breathing 呼吸 opiates affect respiration. 鸦片制剂影响呼吸。 ■[count noun](chiefly Medicine)a single breath (主医)一次呼吸 ■(Biology)a process in living organisms involving the production of energy, typically with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the oxidation of complex organic substances (生)呼吸作用
语源
late Middle English: from Latin respiratio(n-), from respirare 'breathe out' (see respire)