respiratory
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of respiratory
1780–90; < Late Latin respīrātōrius, equivalent to Latin respīrā ( re ) to respire + -tōrius -tory 1
Explanation
The word respiratory is an adjective describing anything related to respiration: how we breathe. In addition to the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems, the body has a respiratory system: this is how we get and use oxygen, which we need to survive. The respiratory system also expels carbon dioxide, which we don’t use. The main respiratory organs are the lungs. Asthma and bronchitis are respiratory diseases, because they make breathing difficult. When you see the word respiratory, just take a deep breath and you’ll remember the meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing respiratory
Freak the Mighty
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Life Science: Human Systems
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This Week In Words: February 22–28, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Of those, 72 were found to be suffering from acute respiratory tract infections.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Sino Biopharmaceutical reached a licensing deal with AstraZeneca for a chronic respiratory disease treatment that could be valued up to $1.9 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Under a heat dome, those pollutants can linger longer, leading to elevated Air Quality Index, or AQI, readings that may pose additional risks for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Fireworks trigger spikes in harmful fine particulate matter that cause respiratory issues, with the combined effects of heat and smoke amplifying health impacts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
He detected no respiratory infection but prescribed shots of liver and placenta extract, a novel therapy for weakened immune systems.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
