Insufflate

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɪnsÊŒfleɪt/

Origin

From the past participle stem of Latin insufflare, from in- + sufflare ("blow on").

Full definition of insufflate

Verb

1. (transitive) To breathe or blow into or on.
2. (transitive, medicine) To treat by blowing a gas, vapor, or powder into a body cavity.
3. (transitive, medicine) To inhale (a powder etc.).
• 2001: Cocaine is usually taken by insufflating the white powdered cocaine sulphate into the nose, which leads to rapid absorption of the drug into the bloodstream. — Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 98)
4. (transitive, ecclesiastical) To exhale upon baptismal water, or the one being baptised, as a ritual act.

Synonyms

• (to inhale) snort

Related terms

• insufflation
• insufflator