Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To make extremely weary; wear out. synonym: tire.
  • intransitive verb To remove a resource from; deplete.
  • intransitive verb To use up completely: synonym: deplete.
  • intransitive verb To discuss or treat completely; cover thoroughly.
  • intransitive verb To let out the contents of (a container); cause or allow to escape.
  • intransitive verb To let out or draw off (a gas, for example) from a container.
  • intransitive verb To escape or pass out.
  • noun The escape or release of vaporous waste material, as from an engine.
  • noun The fumes or gases so released.
  • noun A duct or pipe through which waste material is emitted.
  • noun An apparatus for drawing out noxious air or waste material by means of a partial vacuum.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A pump, fan, or other device for removing air from a building, enclosure, or receptacle, by lowering the pressure in the egress-pipe or flue.
  • noun . Same as exhaust-steam.
  • noun Eduction; emission, as of steam from an engine.
  • To draw out or drain off the whole of; draw out till nothing of the matter drawn is left; remove or take out completely: as, to exhaust the water of a well, or the air from a receiver; to exhaust the contents of a mine, or of one's purse.
  • To use up or consume completely; expend or make away with the whole of; cause the total removal or loss of: as, to exhaust the fertility of the soil; to exhaust one's strength or resources; you have exhausted my patience.
  • To empty by drawing out the contents of; make empty by drawing from; specifically, in chem., to empty or deprive of one or more ingredients by the use of solvents: as, to exhaust a closed vessel by means of an air-pump; to exhaust a cistern.
  • Hence To make weak or worthless by deprivation of essential properties or possessions; despoil of strength, resources, etc.; make useless or helpless: as, a man exhausted by fatigue or disease; bad husbandry exhausts the land; the long war exhausted the country.
  • To treat or examine exhaustively; take a complete view of; consider or view in all parts, bearings, or relations: as, to exhaust a topic, a study, or a pursuit; to exhaust a book by careful reading or study.
  • . To draw forth; excite.
  • Expended; drained; exhausted, as of energy or strength.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To draw or let out wholly; to drain off completely
  • transitive verb To empty by drawing or letting out the contents.
  • transitive verb To drain, metaphorically; to use or expend wholly, or till the supply comes to an end; to deprive wholly of strength; to use up; to weary or tire out; to wear out.
  • transitive verb To bring out or develop completely; to discuss thoroughly.
  • transitive verb (Chem.) To subject to the action of various solvents in order to remove all soluble substances or extractives.
  • transitive verb (Physics) See under Receiver.
  • adjective Drained; exhausted; having expended or lost its energy.
  • adjective Pertaining to steam, air, gas, etc., that is released from the cylinder of an engine after having preformed its work.
  • adjective a forced draught produced by drawing air through a place, as through a furnace, instead of blowing it through.
  • adjective a fan blower so arranged as to produce an exhaust draught, or to draw air or gas out of a place, as out of a room in ventilating it.
  • adjective (Steam Engine) the blast orifice or nozzle.
  • adjective (Steam Engine) the pipe that conveys exhaust steam from the cylinder to the atmosphere or to the condenser.
  • adjective (Steam Engine) the opening, in the cylinder or valve, by which the exhaust steam escapes.
  • adjective (Milling) a machine for sorting grains, or purifying middlings by an exhaust draught.
  • adjective (Steam Engine) steam which is allowed to escape from the cylinder after having been employed to produce motion of the piston.
  • adjective (Steam Engine) a valve that lets exhaust steam escape out of a cylinder.
  • noun (Steam Engine) The steam let out of a cylinder after it has done its work there.
  • noun The foul air let out of a room through a register or pipe provided for the purpose.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To draw or let out wholly; to drain off completely; as, to exhaust the water of a well; the moisture of the earth is exhausted by evaporation.
  • verb To empty by drawing or letting out the contents; as, to exhaust a well, or a treasury.
  • verb To drain, metaphorically; to use or expend wholly, or till the supply comes to an end; to deprive wholly of strength; to use up; to weary or tire out; to wear out; as, to exhaust one's strength, patience, or resources.
  • verb To bring out or develop completely; to discuss thoroughly; as, to exhaust a subject.
  • verb chemistry To subject to the action of various solvents in order to remove all soluble substances or extractives; as, to exhaust a drug successively with water, alcohol, and ether.
  • noun A system consisting of the parts of an engine through which burned gases or steam are discharged; see also exhaust system.
  • noun The steam let out of a cylinder after it has done its work there.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin exhaurīre, exhaust- : ex-, ex- + haurīre, to draw.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin exhaustus, past participle of exhaurire ("to draw out, drink up, empty, exhaust"), from ex ("out") + haurire ("to draw (especially water), drain").

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