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Origin and history of expiration

expiration(n.)

early 15c., expiracioun, "vapor, breath," from Latin expirationem/exspirationem (nominative expiratio/exspiratio) "a breathing out, exhalation," noun of action from past-participle stem of expirare/exspirare "breathe out; breathe one's last" (see expire). Meaning "termination, end, close" is from 1560s.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to expiration

expire(v.)

c. 1400, "to die," from Old French expirer "expire, elapse" (12c.), from Latin expirare/exspirare "breathe out, blow out, exhale; breathe one's last, die," hence, figuratively, "expire, come to an end, cease," from ex "out" (see ex-) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.)). "Die" is the older sense in English; that of "breathe out" is attested from 1580s. Of laws, patents, treaties, etc., mid-15c. In 17c. also transitive. Related: Expired; expiring.

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    termination
    late 14c., "authoritative resolution of a matter," from Old French terminacion (13c.) and directly from Latin terminationem (nominative terminatio) "a fixing of boundaries, a bounding, determining," noun of action from past-participle stem of terminare "to mark the end or boundar
    loss
    Old English los "ruin, destruction," from Proto-Germanic *lausa- (from PIE root *leu- "to loosen, divide, cut apart"), with an etymological sense of "dissolution." But this seems scarcely to have survived in Middle English, and the modern word, with a weaker sense, "failure to ho
    exit
    1530s (late 15c. as a Latin word in English), originally a stage direction, from Latin exit "he or she goes out," third person singular present indicative of exire "go out, go forth, depart," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + ire "to go" (from PIE root *ei- "to go"). Also from Latin exi
    lapse
    mid-15c., "elapsing of time, expiration;" also "temporary forfeiture of a legal right" due to some failure or non-action...
    reversion
    late 14c., reversioun, a legal word used in reference to the return of an estate to the heirs of a grantor on the expiration...
    fin de siecle
    existence, gradually ageing and declining after blooming childhood, joyous youth, and vigorous maturity, to die with the expiration...
    pardon
    the remainder of the punishment that belongs to an offense: as, the queen or the governor pardons a convict before the expiration...
    Bertha
    fem. proper name, from Old High German Berahta, Perahta, the name of a goddess, literally "the bright one," from Old High German beraht "bright," related to Old English beorht (from PIE root *bhereg- "to shine; bright, white"). Soldiers' nickname Big Bertha for large-bore German
    breath
    Old English bræð "odor, scent, stink, exhalation, vapor" (the Old English word for "air exhaled from the lungs" was æðm), from Proto-Germanic *bræthaz "smell, exhalation" (source also of Old High German bradam, German Brodem "breath, steam"), perhaps [Watkins] from a PIE root *gw
    wind
    "air in motion," Old English wind "wind," from Proto-Germanic *winda- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch wind, Old Norse vindr, Old High German wind, German Wind, Gothic winds), from PIE *wē-nt-o‑ "blowing," suffixed (participial) form of root *we- "to bl

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