Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - asthma

 noun  Etymology: Middle English asma, from Medieval Latin, modification of Greek ~  Date: 14th century a chronic lung disorder that is marked by recurring episodes of airway obstruction (as from bronchospasm) manifested by labored breathing accompanied especially by wheezing and coughing and by a sense of constriction in the chest, and that is triggered by hyperreactivity to various stimuli (as allergens or rapid change in air temperature)  • ~tic adjective or noun  • ~tically adverb