trachea
trachea definition
tra·chea (trā′kē ə; chiefly Brit trə kē′ə)
noun pl. tracheae -·cheae′ (-ē′) or tracheas -·cheas
- in the respiratory tract of most land vertebrates, the tube extending from the larynx to the two bronchi; windpipe
- in the respiratory system of insects and certain other invertebrates, any of the tubules branching throughout the body and conducting air from the exterior
- Bot. vessel (sense )
Etymology: ME trache < ML trachea < LL trachia, windpipe < Gr tracheia (arteria), rough (windpipe) < trachys, rough, akin to thrassein, to confuse < IE base *dher-, dark residue, dirt > dregs
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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