Breath·ing n.
 1. Respiration; the act of inhaling and exhaling air.
    Subject to a difficulty of breathing.   --Melmoth.
 2. Air in gentle motion.
 3. Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration; as, the breathings of the Spirit.
 4. Aspiration; secret prayer. “Earnest desires and breathings after that blessed state.”
 5. Exercising; promotion of respiration.
 Here is a lady that wants breathing too;
 And I have heard, you knights of Tyre
 Are excellent in making ladies trip.   --Shak.
 6. Utterance; communication or publicity by words.
    I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose.   --Shak.
 7. Breathing place; vent.
 8. Stop; pause; delay.
    You shake the head at so long a breathing.   --Shak.
 9. Also, in a wider sense, the sound caused by the friction of the outgoing breath in the throat, mouth, etc., when the glottis is wide open; aspiration; the sound expressed by the letter h.
 10. Gr. Gram. A mark to indicate aspiration or its absence. See Rough breathing, Smooth breathing, below.
 Breathing place. (a) A pause. “That cæsura, or breathing place, in the midst of the verse.” --Sir P. Sidney. (b) A vent.
 Breathing time, pause; relaxation. --Bp. Hall.
 Breathing while, time sufficient for drawing breath; a short time. --Shak.
 Rough breathing (spiritus asper) (῾). See 2d Asper, n.
 Smooth breathing (spiritus lenis), a mark (') indicating the absence of the sound of h, as in 'ie`nai (ienai).

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 breathing time
      n : a short respite [syn: breath, breather, breathing place,
           breathing space, breathing spell]