Expiration Date
Sandra asked about the
label expiration date, found on many
products. It is, as we all know, the date beyond which the manufacturer will
not guarantee safety or quality. If you really want to take a chance on that
old carton of milk, it might be wise to hold your breath before tasting it.
Breath is the key word
here. Expire, expiration, and allied words come from the Latin ex-spirare, to breath out – in this
case, to breathe one’s last. Centuries ago, the word didn’t have such a dire
meaning; it simply described the normal breathing process. Later, it was applied
to any emission or ejection; volcanoes would expire flames, and flowers would
expire perfume. Now, patents and copyrights and temporary laws can also expire
– run out of breath and existence.
The opposite is expressed
by inspire, inspiration, and variations based on the Latin in-spirare, to breathe in. It runs from inhaling to infusing to
arousing. The most famous breath is described in Genesis 2.7: “Then the Lord God
formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a living being.”
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