air sac
noun
1
: one of the air-filled spaces in the body of a bird connected with the air passages of the lungs
3
: a thin-walled dilation of a trachea occurring in many insects
Examples of air sac in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The walls of the air sacs can also be destroyed, leading to fewer and larger air sacs instead of many tiny ones and reducing the amount of gas exchange.6
Chronic bronchitis causes the lining of the airways to be constantly irritated and inflamed.
—
Claire Gillespie, Health, 17 Mar. 2024
This damage causes the air sacs to lose their shape and become floppy.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 17 Mar. 2024
Scientists learned that air sacs evolved to allow the baleen whale to recycle air while creating vocal sounds.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
But the fossils also suggested that the evolution of air sacs had started by this time.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 26 July 2023
There are two main types of COPD: Emphysema — when the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) are damaged — and chronic bronchitis — when airways are constantly inflamed and become inundated with mucus.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024
The males fan their tails and pump their air sacs up and down.
—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 11 Jan. 2024
Sauropods also independently evolved a birdlike lung with air sacs throughout their bodies, making their breathing more efficient and their bodies lighter for their size.
—Michael D. D'emic, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023
In people with emphysema, the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) are damaged.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 18 Nov. 2023
Claire Gillespie, Health, 17 Mar. 2024
This damage causes the air sacs to lose their shape and become floppy.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 17 Mar. 2024
Scientists learned that air sacs evolved to allow the baleen whale to recycle air while creating vocal sounds.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
But the fossils also suggested that the evolution of air sacs had started by this time.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 26 July 2023
There are two main types of COPD: Emphysema — when the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) are damaged — and chronic bronchitis — when airways are constantly inflamed and become inundated with mucus.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024
The males fan their tails and pump their air sacs up and down.
—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 11 Jan. 2024
Sauropods also independently evolved a birdlike lung with air sacs throughout their bodies, making their breathing more efficient and their bodies lighter for their size.
—Michael D. D'emic, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023
In people with emphysema, the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) are damaged.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 18 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'air sac.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Air sac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20sac. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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