spiracle

[ spahy-ruh-kuhl, spir-uh- ]

/ ˈspaɪ rə kəl, ˈspɪr ə- /

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noun

a breathing hole; an opening by which a confined space has communication with the outer air; air hole.

Zoology.

an aperture or orifice through which air or water passes in the act of respiration, as the blowhole of a cetacean.
an opening in the head of sharks and rays through which water is drawn and passed over gills.
one of the external orifices of the tracheal respiratory system of certain invertebrates, usually on the sides of the body.

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Origin of spiracle

1300–50; Middle English <Latin spīrāculum air hole, equivalent to spīrā(re) to breathe + -culum-cle²

OTHER WORDS FROM spiracle

spi·rac·u·lar

[spahy-rak-yuh-ler, spi-], /spaɪˈræk yə lər, spɪ-/, adjectivepre·spi·rac·u·lar, adjective

Words nearby spiracle

spiny lizard, spiny lobster, spiny rat, spiny-rayed, spiny-rayed fish, spiracle, spiraea, spiral, spiral arm, spiral bevel gear, spiral binding

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spiracle in a sentence

The researchers found that when Tiktaalik slid its palate around, its own spiracles would have expanded, perhaps enhancing its ability to breathe air.
This ancient fish-crocodile mashup snared its prey using a key adaptation|Kate Baggaley|February 3, 2021|Popular-Science
Small capitate processes or organs, observable under the wings of Diptera, attended by a spiracle.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby
The first cleft is no longer similar to the rest, but has commenced to be metamorphosed into the spiracle.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
The external gills project from all the gill-slits including the spiracle.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour

But the first has already atrophied considerably, and may easily be recognized as the spiracle.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
Spiracle, spir′a-kl, n. a breathing-hole: any minute passage.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for spiracle

spiracle

/ (ˈspaɪərəkəl, ˈspaɪrə-) /

noun

any of several paired apertures in the cuticle of an insect, by which air enters and leaves the trachea

a small paired rudimentary gill slit just behind the head in skates, rays, and related fishes

any similar respiratory aperture, such as the blowhole in whales

geology a protrusion of sediment into a lava flow, formed by the explosive transition of water into steam

Derived forms of spiracle

spiracular (spɪˈrækjʊlə), adjectivespiraculate, adjective

Word Origin for spiracle

C14 (originally: breath): from Latin spīrāculum vent, from spīrāre to breathe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for spiracle

spiracle

[ spĭr′ə-kəl, spī′rə- ]

An opening through which certain animals breathe, such as the blowhole of a whale or one of the openings in the exoskeleton of an insect.