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Pant vs Wheeze - What's the difference?

pant | wheeze |

As nouns the difference between pant and wheeze

is that pant is a quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp while wheeze is a piping or whistling sound caused by difficult respiration.

As verbs the difference between pant and wheeze

is that pant is to breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion or from eagerness or excitement; to respire with heaving of the breast; to gasp while wheeze is to breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling sound, as persons affected with asthma.

pant

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), whence also English dialectal (m). Possibly from (etyl) (m), a byform or of (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp.
  • (obsolete) A violent palpitation of the heart.
  • (Shakespeare)
    References
    * *

    Verb

  • (ambitransitive) To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion or from eagerness or excitement; to respire with heaving of the breast; to gasp.
  • * Dryden
  • Pluto plants for breath from out his cell.
  • * Shelley
  • There is a cavern where my spirit / Was panted forth in anguish.
    {{quote-Fanny Hill, part=2 , Charles had just slipp'd the bolt of the door, and running, caught me in his arms, and lifting me from the ground, with his lips glew'd to mine, bore me, trembling, panting , dying, with soft fears and tender wishes, to the bed}}
  • To long for (something); to be eager for (something).
  • * Herbert
  • Then shall our hearts pant thee.
  • To long eagerly; to desire earnestly.
  • * Bible, Psalms xlii. 1
  • As the hart panteth after the water brooks.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • Who pants for glory finds but short repose.
  • Of the heart, to beat with unnatural violence or rapidity; to palpitate.
  • (Spenser)
  • To sigh; to flutter; to languish.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • The whispering breeze / Pants on the leaves, and dies upon the trees.
    Synonyms
    * (breathe quickly or in a labored manner) gasp * (long for) crave, desire, long for, pine for * (long eagerly) crave, desire, long, pine * palpitate, pound, throb

    Etymology 2

    From pants

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (fashion) A pair of pants (trousers or underpants).
  • (used attributively as a modifier) Of or relating to pants.
  • Pant leg
    Derived terms
    * pant cuff * pant leg * pantsuit, pant suit * panty, panties

    Etymology 3

    Unknown

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • a public drinking fountain in Scotland and North-East England
  • References

    * PMSA page with several examples * OED 2nd edition

    wheeze

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A piping or whistling sound caused by difficult respiration.
  • An ordinary whisper exaggerated so as to produce the hoarse sound known as the "stage whisper"; a forcible whisper with some admixture of tone.
  • (British, slang) An ulterior scheme or plan
  • * 2011 " Road rage; High petrol prices hurt, but will not throttle the economy", The Economist 19 November 2011:
  • The main point of fuel duty, though, is as a fiscal wheeze : it made up 5% of the tax take in 2010.
  • (slang) Something very humorous or laughable.
  • The new comedy is a wheeze .
    You think you're going to win? That's a real wheeze !

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Verb

  • To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling sound, as persons affected with asthma.
  • * 2001 , (Fourth Estate, paperback edition, 443)
  • If the air smelled even faintly of dog, Lionel coughed, wheezed and sneezed.