Pant

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pænt/

Definitions

1. To breathe rapidly and heavily, usually from exertion or heat ; to show eagerness or keen interest through quick breath or excitement ; to move while taking fast, shallow breaths
2. To inhale and exhale quickly, often because of tiredness or warmth ; to display intense anticipation or desire using rapid breathing ; to proceed with swift, short breaths during movement
3. To take fast, heavy breaths often linked to effort or warmth ; to demonstrate enthusiasm or impatience through quick breathing ; to advance or act with quick shallow breaths

Etymology: Most people would guess the verb "pant" is a sound-imitation, but its most striking story is a back-formation: English speakers appear to have worked it backwards from "pants." The trousers word came from "pantaloon," named after the stock comic figure Pantalone of the Italian commedia dell'arte, whose clothing was adopted as loose breeches. Someone then trimmed the final "-s" off "pants" and produced a verb meaning to breathe in short, heavy gasps. The link is strange, but the sequence is the one the record supports. The verb's older ancestry is less certain. Middle English had "panten," and English dialect speakers kept a related form, "pank." Behind the Middle English verb may stand Old French "pantoisier" or "pantoyer," meaning "to be breathless," which survives in modern French "panteler." The origin of that French word is itself uncertain. A further, more speculative proposal traces it to a Vulgar Latin word for struggling for breath during a nightmare, linked to Greek "phantasia," meaning "appearance" or "image."

Synonyms: gasp, wheeze, breathe heavily, heave, puff

Antonyms: calm, rest, settle, relax, breathe easily