Definition of perspiration

The word "perspiration" originated from the Latin word "perspirare," which literally means "to breathe through." In ancient Rome, "perspirare" was used to describe the breathing pattern of newborn infants as they took their first breaths outside the womb, and it was also used to describe how plants open and close their small pores to facilitate breathing and release moisture. Over time, the word "perspiration" came to be associated with the release of sweat by the human body. In the 17th century, English physiologists such as Thomas Willis and William Harvey began to use the term "perspiration" to describe the process by which sweat exits the body through the sweat glands in response to heat or physical exertion. The use of "perspiration" to describe the release of sweat gained widespread popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries as scientific knowledge of the human body grew. Today, "perspiration" is a well-known and commonly used term in medical and scientific fields, as well as in everyday language to describe the process by which sweat leaves the body.