irrespirable

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irrespirable

/ɪɹɪˈspaɪɹəb(ə)l/ US, UK
/ɪˈɹɛspɪɹəb(ə)l/ US, UK

Where it comes from

Either:

* from ir- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + respirable; or

* borrowed from French irrespirable, from Late Latin irrespīrābilis, from Latin ir- (a variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘not’)) + respīrāre + -ābilis (suffix meaning ‘able to be’). Respīrāre is the present active infinitive of respīrō (“to blow or breathe back; to breathe, respire; to breathe out, exhale”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again; back, backwards’) + spīrō (“to blow; to breathe, respire; to breathe out, exhale”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow; to breathe”)).

adjective

not comparable Not respirable; not suitable for breathing; unbreathable. The air was growing fouler and more irrespirable, with a thick, sodden quality, as if from a sediment of material rottenness; and we had about decided to turn back.
Similar: nonrespirable, unrespirable · Opposite: breathable, respirable

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Cite this

MLA

"irrespirable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/irrespirable. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

irrespirable. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/irrespirable

Chicago

"irrespirable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/irrespirable.

BibTeX

@misc{irrespirable_2026,
  title = {irrespirable},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/irrespirable},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}