breathed
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Spoken without vocal cord vibration; whispered: Describes speech sounds or words produced by exhaling air without engaging the vocal cords, resulting in a whispery, voiceless quality.
- Uttered without voice: Refers to speech that is articulated but lacks the sonority of a full voice.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The spy communicated in a breathed whisper to avoid detection.
- Her breathed confession was barely audible over the sound of the wind.
- Could hardly hear her breathed plea, 'Help me'.
Advanced Usage
- Phonetics Context: In linguistics, "breathed" can describe a specific type of phonation for consonants, such as voiceless plosives (e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/), where the sound is produced with a puff of air (aspiration) but without vocal fold vibration. However, the primary adjectival use refers to whispered speech.
- In careful transcription, the initial /p/ in 'pin' is a breathed consonant.
Variants and Related Words
- Breathe (verb): To inhale and exhale air.
- It's difficult to breathe in this stuffy room.
- Breath (noun): The air taken into or expelled from the lungs.
- He took a deep breath before speaking.
- Breathy (adjective): Characterized by an audible sound of breathing, often used to describe a voice quality.
- She sang with a soft, breathy tone.
Synonyms
- Voiceless: Lacking vocal sound.
- Whispered: Spoken very softly using one's breath without the vocal cords.
- Unvoiced: Not uttered with voice (a technical synonym, especially in phonetics).
Antonyms
- Voiced: Produced with vibration of the vocal cords.
- Sonorous: Producing a full, deep, or rich sound.
Related Phrases/Idioms
(Note: "Breathed" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verbs or idioms. The related verb "breathe" is used instead.) - Don't breathe a word: To keep something a complete secret; to not tell anyone. - This is a surprise, so don't breathe a word to anyone. - Breathe a sigh of relief: To feel relieved after a period of worry or anxiety. - We all breathed a sigh of relief when the test was over.
Adjective
- uttered without voice
- could hardly hear her breathed plea, `Help me'
- voiceless whispers