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trachea
[ trey-kee-uh or, especially British, truh-kee-uh ]
/ ˈtreɪ ki ə or, especially British, trəˈki ə /
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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).
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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
traceried, tracery, traces, traceur, trache-, trachea, tracheal, tracheal cartilage, tracheal muscle, tracheal ring, tracheal tube
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use trachea in a sentence
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 of trachea
tracheal or tracheate, adjectiveWord 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
Medical 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
Other words from trachea
tra′che•al adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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.
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.