See Also: aspire(medicine)
aspire(dictionary)
aspire(dictionary)

Rinzai (iou) and aspire (iou)


Rinzai (iou)



Rinzai noun. L19.
[Japanese from Chinese Lin-ji a Zen master (d. 867), its founder.]
One of the three branches of Zen Buddhism, the others being Soto and Obaku.

aspire (iou)



aspire verb. LME.
[Old & mod. French aspirer or Latin aspirare, from ad AS-1 + spirare breathe.]
I. Desire.
verb intrans. Have an earnest desire or ambition for something; desire and seek to attain something. (Foll. by to (do), after, at, for.) LME.
R. Lovelace Aspiredst for the everlasting Crowne. Goldsmith Ye powers of truth, that bid my soul aspire. V. Knox He who aspires at the character of a good man. R. Lynd It is no wonder that human beings aspire after a standard pronunciation which will reduce as far as possible the chances of misunderstanding. M. L. King We Americans have long aspired to the glories of freedom while we compromised with prejudice and servitude. New York Review of Books He aspired to be a Rhodes Scholar, and thus had to be an all-around man.
verb trans. Have an earnest desire for, be ambitious of. L16-E19.
Southey And Love aspired with Faith a heavenward flight.
II.
verb trans. Breathe (in)to; inspire. L15-M17.
III. Rise (infl. by SPIRE noun1, verb1).
verb intrans. Rise up, mount up, tower, rise high, (lit. & fig.). M16.
Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor Lust is but a bloody fire,..whose flames aspire, As thoughts do blow them, higher and higher. S. Johnson Orgilio sees the golden pile aspire. S. Lewis The towers of Zenith aspired above the morning mist.
verb intrans. Grow up to (a specified age). Only in L16.
Spenser To ryper yeares he gan aspire.
verb trans. Mount up to, reach, attain. L16-E17.
Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet That gallant spirit hath aspir'd the clouds.
aspirer noun L16.
aspiringly adverb in an aspiring manner, so as to aspire E17.
aspiringness noun the quality of being aspiring M19.