breathless

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree English breath Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English breathless From breath + -less.

1. Having difficulty breathing; gasping.

   “In thoughtless and breathless fear I rushed forward to avoid this host of demons, but while flying thus still more frightful and distorted shapes appeared, and I fancied I felt their hands clutching me.”

2. That makes one hold one's breath (with excitement etc.).

   “By that stage Sevilla were down to 10 men and Jorge Sampaoli, their manager, had been sent to the stands as a breathless encounter started to spiral out of control.”

   “The plane buzzed on at a breathless speed. Bob had been in a plane before, and he had no fear. Indeed, but for the strange circumstances, he would have enjoyed that breathless rush through space.”

3. Not breathing; dead or apparently so.
4. Having no wind; still, calm or airless.
5. Having a somewhat hysterical tone, using over-emotive language.

   “In breathless prose that risks making Dr Pachauri, who will be 70 this year, a laughing stock among the serious, high-minded scientists,”

   “The more some of us learn, the harder it gets to take each breathless headline seriously.”