trachea

noun tra·chea \ˈtrā-kē-ə\

medical : a long tube in your neck and chest that carries air into and out of your lungs

plural tra·che·ae\-kē-ˌē, -kē-ˌī\ also tra·che·as or tra·chea

Full Definition of TRACHEA

: the main trunk of the system of tubes by which air passes to and from the lungs in vertebrates

[New Latin, from Medieval Latin] : vessel 3b; also : one of its constituent cellular elements

[New Latin] : one of the air-conveying tubules forming the respiratory system of most insects and many other arthropods

— tra·che·al \-kē-əl\ adjective

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Origin of TRACHEA

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Late Latin trachia, from Greek tracheia (artēria) rough (artery), from feminine of trachys rough

First Known Use: 14th century

TRACHEAE Defined for Kids

trachea

noun tra·chea \ˈtrā-kē-ə\

plural tra·che·ae \-kē-ˌē\

Definition of TRACHEA for Kids

: a stiff-walled tube of the respiratory system that connects the pharynx with the lungs

: a breathing tube of an insect that connects with the outside of the body and carries oxygen directly to the cells

Medical Dictionary

trachea

noun tra·chea \ˈtrā-kē-ə, British also trə-ˈkē-ə\

plural tra·che·ae \-kē-ˌē\ also tra·che·as

Medical Definition of TRACHEA

: the main trunk of the system of tubes by which air passes to and from the lungs that is about four inches (10 centimeters) long and somewhat less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter, extends down the front of the neck from the larynx, divides in two to form the bronchi, has walls of fibrous and muscular tissue stiffened by incomplete cartilaginous rings which keep it from collapsing, and is lined with mucous membrane whose epithelium is composed of columnar ciliated mucus-secreting cells—called also windpipe