trachea

[ trey-kee-uh or, especially British, truh-kee-uh ]

See synonyms for trachea on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural tra·che·ae

[trey-kee-ee or, especially British, truh-kee-ee], /ˈtreɪ kiˌi or, especially 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).

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

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

Words Nearby trachea

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

How to use trachea in a sentence

Ginger was barely able to speak around the tube in her trachea, but after a few days in which no one brought the baby to her, she couldn’t wait any longer.
“God, No, Not Another Case.” COVID-Related Stillbirths Didn’t Have to Happen. | by Duaa Eldeib | August 4, 2022 | ProPublica
A plastic tube lodged in his trachea was the only thing keeping him alive.
From G.I. to Eye Candy: War Vet Alex Minsky’s Model Turn | Itay Hod | March 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
No one has heard the Bolivarian leader speak a word (due to a surgical tube in his trachea, officials parry).
Is Hugo Chávez Really Back in Venezuela? | Mac Margolis | February 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
A view of the lower part of the trachea, dividing into the main bronchial tubes, which again branch into a tree-like form.
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking | Wesley Mills
Again, the air-tubes or tracheæ of insects are, like the trachea and bronchi of many Vertebrates, air-breathing organs.
Form and Function | E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

At the anterior end of the trachea we find already formed in the amphibia the larynx, the important organ of voice and speech.
The Wonders of Life | Ernst Haeckel
An ordinary canula is placed in the trachea and the wounds are dressed.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4) | Various
If the wound be in the middle line it is impossible to miss the trachea.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4) | Various

British Dictionary definitions for trachea

trachea

/ (trəˈkiːə) /

nounplural -cheae (-ˈkiːiː)

anatomy zoology the membranous tube with cartilaginous rings that conveys inhaled air from the larynx to the bronchi: Nontechnical 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

Origin of trachea

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Greek trakheia, shortened from (artēria) trakheia rough (artery), from trakhus rough

Derived forms of trachea

tracheal or tracheate, adjective

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 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.

Cultural definitions for trachea

trachea

[ (tray-kee-uh) ]

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

Browse