trachea

[ trey-kee-uh or, esp. British, truh-kee-uh ]

/ ˈtreɪ ki ə or, esp. British, trəˈki ə /

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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.

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

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|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|DAILY BEAST
Young turkeys are sometimes attacked by fasciolæ, or worms in the trachea; but not so often as chickens.
Sheep, Swine, and Poultry|Robert Jennings
Trachea simple; with four pairs of inferior laryngeal muscles.
A Synopsis of the Birds of North America|John James Audubon

Near the lower end of the trachea, just above the lungs, there is a specialized organ of the bird's throat called the syrinx.
Our Bird Comrades|Leander S. (Leander Sylvester) Keyser
He had placed an endotracheal tube in the President's trachea for artificial respiration.
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
The lungs are mere sacks, and the trachea is a delicate thread, but the liver is very large.
Private Sex Advice to Women|R. B. Armitage

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 Forms

tracheal 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

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 forms

tra′che•al adj.

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.

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.