transpiration

noun

tran·​spi·​ra·​tion ˌtran(t)s-pə-ˈrā-shən 

: the act or process or an instance of transpiring

especially : the passage of watery vapor from a living body (as of a plant) through a membrane or pores

transpirational

ˌtran(t)s-pə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of transpiration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the purposes of the report, aridity was measured as a function of three variables: ambient rainfall, transpiration—or the rate at which water is transferred to the atmosphere via plants—and evaporation. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024

Drylands were defined as places in which annual potential evaporation and transpiration are 45% greater than average precipitation. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024

The primary cause for the increase was labor shortages, particularly in the transpiration and logistics sectors. —Gene Marks, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

Think of the rain forest not as a collection of trees but as a hydrologic system, a massive machine for transporting and recycling water in which trees act as pumps, pulling water out of the ground and then injecting it, through transpiration, into the air. —Jeff Tollefson, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2013

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

transpiration

noun

tran·​spi·​ra·​tion tran(t)s-pə-ˈrā-shən 

: the process by which plants give off water vapor through the stomata in their leaves

Medical Definition

transpiration

noun

tran·​spi·​ra·​tion tran(t)s-pə-ˈrā-shən 

: the passage of watery vapor from a living body through a membrane or pores

transpirational

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective