Trachea

//tɹəˈkiː.ə// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A thin-walled, cartilaginous tube connecting the larynx to the bronchi.
  2. 2
    membranous tube with cartilaginous rings that conveys inhaled air from the larynx to the bronchi wordnet
  3. 3
    The xylem vessel. dated
  4. 4
    one of the tubules forming the respiratory system of most insects and many arachnids wordnet
  5. 5
    One of the cuticle-lined primary tubes in the respiratory system of an insect, which extend throughout its body.

Example

More examples

"In late 2018, my 72-year old dad was diagnosed with cancer of the trachea."

Etymology

From late Middle English, from Medieval Latin trāchēa (“the windpipe”) (also borrowed as Late Latin trāchīa), from Ancient Greek τρᾱχεῖᾰ ᾰ̓ρτηρῐ́ᾱ (trākheîă ărtērĭ́ā, “windpipe, trachea”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.