A sudden, involuntary expulsion of air through the nose and mouth; often a reflex reaction to irritants.
From Old English 'fneosan.' The 'f' changed to 's' over time through a consonant shift. The origin is likely onomatopoetic—the word imitates the actual sound.
Your sneeze can travel up to 26 feet, but people have been saying 'bless you' since the Middle Ages because they thought your soul left your body during a sneeze—now we know you were just spreading germs!
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