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respiration

noun

Any of the various analogous processes by which there is an exchange of gases

It may be associated with:

• breathing, which is the process of inhaling and exhaling gases from and into the external environment – a function of the lungs and other structures with similar function (e.g. gills)
• cellular respiration, which is the process utilized by cells to obtain energy from the oxidation of organic compounds accompanied by the consumption of oxygen (when available) and the release of carbon dioxide
• anaerobic respiration, a process in which cellular respiration occurs not involving the use of molecular oxygen
• plant respiration, the enzymatic oxidation of substrates in plants, leading to the release of carbon dioxide
• carbon respiration – a phrase used in combination with carbon storage to calculate the amount of carbon (as CO₂) flux occurring in the atmosphere through the various processes that add and subtract atmospheric carbon

Word origin: Middle English respiracioun, from Latin respiratio, from respirare.