# smooth breathing

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The lack of aspiration on a vowel or semivowel in Ancient Greek.
2. A diacritic (’/◌̓) in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Greek used to indicate this lack of aspiration (or its historical presence), e.g. ἀ, ῤ.

## Etymology
Calque of Latin spīritus lēnis, from Ancient Greek ψιλὸν πνεῦμα (psilòn pneûma).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/smooth-breathing