Asthmatic

/æzˈmætɪk/ adjective

Definition

Related to asthma, a respiratory condition that causes difficulty breathing, or describing someone who has asthma.

Etymology

From Greek 'asthma' meaning 'short-windedness' or 'panting,' derived from 'aein' (to blow or breathe). The medical term entered English in the 1500s through medical texts.

Kelly Says

Ancient Greeks documented asthma as 'short-windedness' without understanding it was an immune response, and today we still don't have a cure—but inhalers (invented 1956) literally saved millions of lives by stopping inflammation within minutes.

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