respiratory system

noun

Anatomy.

1. the system by which oxygen is taken into the body and an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place; in mammals the system includes the nasal passages, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.

respiratory system

noun

1. the specialized organs, collectively, concerned with external respiration: in humans and other mammals it includes the trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, lungs, and diaphragm

respiratory system

1. The system of organs and structures in which gas exchange takes place, consisting of the lungs and airways in air-breathing vertebrates, gills in fish and many invertebrates, the outer covering of the body in worms, and specialized air ducts in insects.

respiratory system

1. The organs in the body involved in respiration. Air enters the body through the nose and mouth and travels down the trachea, through the bronchial tubes, and finally into the lungs. Once in the lungs, the air is drawn into an enormous number of thin-walled sacs richly supplied with capillaries. The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood takes place in these tiny sacs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of respiratory system¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

An inhalation room treated the respiratory system and asthma, and there were detoxifying baths using mud from the nearby springs.

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"Children with AD are also at higher risk for infections, including those affecting the skin and respiratory system."

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“An opioid overdose,” he writes, “shuts down the respiratory system, stifling breath, and life itself.”

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Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which attack the upper respiratory system and can cause airways to swell, according to the CDC.

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From there, they sneak past the protective barrier lining the respiratory system and head to the lymph nodes in search of cells that express a particular protein called signaling lymphocytic activation molecule, or SLAM.

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