A device that uses suction or air pressure to remove fluid, gas, or particles from a space, commonly used in medical procedures and laboratories.
From Latin 'aspirare' (to breathe upon) + '-or' (agent noun suffix). The root 'ad-' (to) + 'spirare' (to breathe) originally meant 'to breathe toward,' then evolved to mean 'to aspire to' and eventually to describe mechanical devices that draw in air or liquids.
Aspirators are everywhere in hospitals and dentist offices—they're those little vacuum-like devices that keep your mouth dry during procedures. The same basic principle powers industrial vacuum systems, laboratory fume hoods, and even some old ship pumps, showing how one clever invention spawned a whole family of life-saving tools.
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