trachea
[ trey-kee-uh or, esp. British, truh-kee-uh ]
/ ˈtreɪ ki ə or, esp. British, trəˈki ə /
noun, plural tra·che·ae [trey-kee-ee or, esp. British, truh-kee-ee] /ˈtreɪ kiˌi or, esp. British, trəˈki i/, tra·che·as.
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.
(in insects and other arthropods) one of the air-conveying tubes of the respiratory system.
Botany. vessel(def 5).
Nearby words
traceried, tracery, traces, traceur, trache-, trachea, tracheae, tracheal, tracheal cartilage, tracheal muscle, tracheal ring
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. 2019
Examples from the Web for trachea
British Dictionary definitions for trachea
trachea
/ (trəˈkiːə) /
noun plural -cheae (-ˈkiːiː)
anatomy zoology the membranous tube with cartilaginous rings that conveys inhaled air from the larynx to the bronchiNontechnical name: windpipe
any of the tubes in insects and related animals that convey air from the spiracles to the tissues
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
trachea
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
Medicine definitions for trachea
trachea
[ trā′kē-ə ]
n. pl. tra•che•as
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.
Science definitions for trachea
trachea
[ trā′kē-ə ]
Plural tracheae (trā′kē-ē′) tracheas
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
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.
Culture definitions for trachea
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.