Ăsth'mă, n.

(ăst'mă, ăs'mă, or ăz'mă, 100), n. [Gr. ἄσθμα, short-drawn breath, from ἄειν, to blow.] (Med.) A disease of respiration, characterized by difficulty of breathing, recurring at intervals, accompanied with a wheezing sound and sense of constriction in the chest, a cough, and expectoration.