Nonperspiring

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing something that does not produce sweat; unable to exude moisture through the skin; lacking physiological sweating activity
2. Characterizing the condition or state of not emitting perspiration; having no capacity for sweat secretion; exhibiting an absence of sweat production
3. Pertaining to surfaces or conditions where sweat is not released; indicating a body or material that cannot or does not sweat; showing no signs of sweat generation

Etymology: Nonperspiring is a plain English formation: the prefix "non-" attached to "perspiring," the present participle of "perspire." The verb "perspire" comes from Latin "perspirare," literally "to breathe through," built from "per" meaning "through" and "spirare" meaning "to breathe." The Latin sense was about breath and vapour passing through the skin, which is why sweating was originally imagined as a kind of breathing out through the pores. English took "perspire" from Latin in the early modern period, and the Latin idea of breathing through the body survives in the verb's construction. Adding "non-" simply negates the participle, so "nonperspiring" describes something that does not give off sweat or insensible vapour through the skin. The word is mostly technical, appearing in medical, biological, and botanical writing where a precise contrast with sweating is needed.

Synonyms: dry, unperspiring, arid, parched

Antonyms: perspiring, sweaty, moist, damp, clammy