"apparatus for drawing air or gas through a tube," 1845, agent noun from Latin aspirare "to breathe upon" (see aspire (v.)).
Entries linking to aspirator
aspire v.
"strive for, seek eagerly to attain, long to reach," c. 1400, aspiren, from Old French aspirer "aspire to; inspire; breathe, breathe on" (12c.), from Latin aspirare "to breathe upon, blow upon, to breathe," also, in transferred senses, "to be favorable to, assist; to climb up to, to endeavor to obtain, to reach to, to seek to reach; infuse," from ad "to" (see ad-) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.)).
The notion is of "panting with desire," or perhaps of rising smoke. The literal sense of "breathe, exhale" (1530s) is rare in English. Related: Aspired; aspiring.