Sufflated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To blow or breathe a gas or air gently into a cavity or onto a surface; to insufflate a substance such as powder or gas into a body or organism; to cause air or another gas to pass through or over something softly
2. To introduce air or gas into a space or tissue by blowing or forcing it inward; to administer a powder or powdered drug by inhalation; to lightly fill or inflate with a breath of air or gas
3. To gently direct a current of air or gas into an opening or onto an object; to insufflate medicinal powders into the nose or respiratory tract; to breathe life or air into something in a delicate manner

Etymology: "Sufflated" is the past form of "sufflate," which traces back to Latin "sufflare," built from "sub-" (under, up from below) and "flare" (to blow). The Latin image is of blowing up from underneath, and that sense of a current of air driven in from below or behind is what the English verb keeps. Its specialised senses grew from that core. Medical use, where a powder is blown into the nose or airways, is the most common modern application, and it is the same idea as breathing air into something. The gentler sense of breathing life or air into an object follows the same logic, with the breath as the active agent.

Synonyms: inflated, blown, puffed, ventilated

Antonyms: deflated, collapsed