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trachea

[trey-kee-uh or, esp. British, truh-kee-uh]
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noun, plural tra·che·ae [trey-kee-ee or, esp. British, truh-kee-ee] /ˈtreɪ kiˌi or, esp. British, trəˈki i/, tra·che·as.
  1. Anatomy, Zoology. the tube in humans and other air-breathing vertebrates extending from the larynx to the bronchi, serving as the principal passage for conveying air to and from the lungs; the windpipe.
  2. (in insects and other arthropods) one of the air-conveying tubes of the respiratory system.
  3. Botany. vessel(def 5).

Origin of trachea

1350–1400; Middle English trache < Medieval Latin trāchēa, for Late Latin trāchīa < Greek trācheîa, short for artēría trācheîa rough artery, i.e., windpipe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for trachea

esophagus, larynx, gullet, maw, passage, gorge, pharynx, trachea, windpipe, thorax, fauces

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British Dictionary definitions for trachea

trachea

noun plural -cheae (-ˈkiːiː)
  1. anatomy zoology the membranous tube with cartilaginous rings that conveys inhaled air from the larynx to the bronchiNontechnical name: windpipe
  2. any of the tubes in insects and related animals that convey air from the spiracles to the tissues
  3. botany another name for vessel (def. 5), tracheid
Derived Formstracheal or tracheate, adjective

Word Origin for trachea

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Greek trakheia, shortened from (artēria) trakheia rough (artery), from trakhus rough
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
Word Origin and History for trachea
n.

c.1400, from Medieval Latin trachea (mid-13c.), as in trachea arteria, from Late Latin trachia (c.400), from Greek trakheia, in trakheia arteria "windpipe," literally "rough artery" (so called from the rings of cartilage that form the trachea), from fem. of trakhys "rough." See artery for connection with windpipe in Greek science.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
trachea in Medicine

trachea

[trā′kē-ə]
n. pl. tra•che•as
  1. The airway that extends from the larynx into the thorax where it divides into the right and left bronchi. It is composed of thin incomplete rings of hyaline cartilage connected by a membrane called the annular ligament.windpipe
Related formstra′che•al adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
trachea in Science

trachea

[trā′kē-ə]
Plural tracheae (trā′kē-ē′) tracheas
  1. The tube in vertebrate animals that leads from the larynx to the bronchial tubes and carries air to the lungs. In mammals the trachea is strengthened by rings of cartilage. Also called windpipe
  2. Any of the tiny tubes originating from the spiracles of many terrestrial arthropods and forming a branching network that brings air directly to body cells.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
trachea in Culture

trachea

[(tray-kee-uh)]

The tube connecting the mouth to the bronchial tubes that carries air to the lungs; the windpipe.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.