Dictionary

asthma en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈasθmə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈæðzmə/ (General-American)
• /ˈæzmə/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈæzðmə/ (General-American)
• /ˈasmə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈæst.mə/ (dialectal)
• /ˈaθsmə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English asma, asme, from Medieval Latin asthma, asma, from Ancient Greek ἆσθμα (âsthma, “laborious breathing, asthma”). The spelling was changed to add -th- in the 16th century to match the Greek etymological roots.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) A long-term respiratory condition, in which the airways may unexpectedly and suddenly narrow, often in response to an allergen, cold air, exercise, or emotional stress. Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.
   • ...but rheumatism is a vulgar complaint, and would sink even a ducal coronet—the very lowest people have it. I question if there is a workhouse in Great Britain exempt from it. Neither is there one free from asthma, and yet all the world knows a royal duke suffers from it as much as a coalheaver might do;... 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter LV, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 74:
   • "He kind of spat," said Piggy. "My auntie wouldn't let me blow on account of my asthma. He said you blew from down here." Piggy laid a hand on his jutting abdomen. 1954, William Golding, Lord of the Flies:
   • Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism. 2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3:
   • Twiggs was in a wheelchair during her appearance and suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and diabetes, according to her sister, Anna Twiggs. 2018 April 23, Chuck Johnston, “Judge not allowed back to court after berating woman who died”, in CNN, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2025:

Forms

Deriveds

asthmatic · potter's asthma · nonasthma · asthma attack · grinder's asthma · asthma paper · asthmatically · asthma weed · asthmalike · antiasthmatic · asthma thunderstorm · asthmogenesis · antasthmatic · I have asthma · antiasthma · asthma-plant · hay-asthma · thunderstorm asthma

Descendants

asthma · esma · asma · ஆஸ்துமா

Relateds

inhaler · phthisic

Translations (104)

lo ພະຍາດຫືດ (chronic respiratory disease) · nan-hbl 痚呴 (chronic respiratory disease) · id asma (chronic respiratory disease) · tpi asma (chronic respiratory disease) · rop esma (chronic respiratory disease) · war sugiw (chronic respiratory disease) · tr nefes darlığı (chronic respiratory disease) · kk демікпе (chronic respiratory disease) · zza helpeze (chronic respiratory disease) · my ပန်းနာရင်ကျပ် (chronic respiratory disease) · ga múchadh (chronic respiratory disease) · hu asztma (chronic respiratory disease) · pon asima (chronic respiratory disease) · chr ᎠᏍᎹ (chronic respiratory disease) · hy ասթմա (chronic respiratory disease) · cmn 哮喘 (chronic respiratory disease) · pl dychawica (chronic respiratory disease) · ceb hubak (chronic respiratory disease) · ja 喘息 (chronic respiratory disease) · pon mwopw (chronic respiratory disease) · bg задух (chronic respiratory disease) · mi tīmohu (chronic respiratory disease) · ang angbrēost (chronic respiratory disease) · lv astma (chronic respiratory disease) · ko 천식 (chronic respiratory disease) · ota یلپیك (chronic respiratory disease) · ga plúchadh (chronic respiratory disease) · hi दमा (chronic respiratory disease) · sq astmë (chronic respiratory disease) · tsg sungut (chronic respiratory disease) · pt asma (chronic respiratory disease) · et astma (chronic respiratory disease) · ur دَمَہ (chronic respiratory disease) · ary ضيقة (chronic respiratory disease) · ga asma (chronic respiratory disease) · mk за́дув (chronic respiratory disease) · mg sefo (chronic respiratory disease) · gur asma (chronic respiratory disease) · cy mygfa (chronic respiratory disease) · afb ربو (chronic respiratory disease) · io astmo (chronic respiratory disease) · ar رَبُو (chronic respiratory disease) · th หืด (chronic respiratory disease) · nb astma (chronic respiratory disease) · vi hen suyễn (chronic respiratory disease) · my ပန်းနာ (chronic respiratory disease) · sv astma (chronic respiratory disease) · os астмӕ (chronic respiratory disease) · eo astmo (chronic respiratory disease) · cmn 氣喘 /气喘 (chronic respiratory disease) · sq shpirrë (chronic respiratory disease) · ro astmă (chronic respiratory disease) · mi huangō (chronic respiratory disease) · pdt Austma (chronic respiratory disease) · hil hikab (chronic respiratory disease) · hil usang (chronic respiratory disease) · tr yelpik (chronic respiratory disease) · mn ᠪᠠᠭᠲᠠᠷᠠᠭ᠎ᠠ (chronic respiratory disease) · bg а́стма (chronic respiratory disease) · bcl hapo (chronic respiratory disease) · ru а́стма (chronic respiratory disease) · vi hen (chronic respiratory disease) · cy asthma (chronic respiratory disease) · pl astma (chronic respiratory disease) · si ඇදුම (chronic respiratory disease) · mn астма (chronic respiratory disease) · grc ἆσθμα (chronic respiratory disease) · fr asthme (chronic respiratory disease) · zza astım (chronic respiratory disease) · ilo angkit (chronic respiratory disease) · la asthma (chronic respiratory disease) · fi astma (chronic respiratory disease) · es asma (chronic respiratory disease) · cs astma (chronic respiratory disease) · tr astım (chronic respiratory disease) · nn astma (chronic respiratory disease) · sq frymëz (chronic respiratory disease) · be а́стма (chronic respiratory disease) · uk а́стма (chronic respiratory disease) · mt ażżma (chronic respiratory disease) · pl zadyszka (chronic respiratory disease) · it asma (chronic respiratory disease) · vi suyễn (chronic respiratory disease) · gu દમ (chronic respiratory disease) · fa آسم (chronic respiratory disease) · nrf courte-haleine (chronic respiratory disease) · yue 哮喘 (chronic respiratory disease) · mn багтраа (chronic respiratory disease) · he אַסְתְמָה (chronic respiratory disease) · oc asma (chronic respiratory disease) · fo astma (chronic respiratory disease) · fo bróstmøði (chronic respiratory disease) · da astma (chronic respiratory disease) · an asma (chronic respiratory disease) · mi kume (chronic respiratory disease) · nl astma (chronic respiratory disease) · mi ngoio (chronic respiratory disease) · mk а́стма (chronic respiratory disease) · ka ასთმა (chronic respiratory disease) · ca asma (chronic respiratory disease) · el άσθμα (chronic respiratory disease) · tl hika (chronic respiratory disease) · de Asthma (chronic respiratory disease) · lt astma (chronic respiratory disease)