bronchitis

noun

bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkī-təs How to pronounce bronchitis (audio)
bräŋ-
: acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes
also : a disease marked by this
bronchitic adjective

Did you know?

The bronchial tubes carry air into the tiny branches and smaller cells of the lungs. In bronchitis, the tubes become sore and you develop a deep cough. Bronchitis caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, but there's no drug treatment for the more common kind caused by a virus. A bout of bronchitis may involve a couple of weeks of coughing (with no laughing allowed), weakness, and loss of energy and interest in doing things. Apart from that, bronchitis is rarely serious—at least if it doesn't progress to pneumonia.

Examples of bronchitis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In April, the pope spent three days at Gemelli Hospital for what the Vatican said was bronchitis. Henry Austin, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 Based on a model in which all new vehicles sold by 2035 are zero-tailpipe emission, the group concludes that there would be 2.7 million fewer asthma attacks among children, as well as 147,000 fewer acute case of bronchitis. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 21 Feb. 2024 Cold weakens our defenses against flu, pneumonia, acute bronchitis and other respiratory infections, all of which see some of the sharpest winter spikes. Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Due to the rigors of touring and the smoke effects on stage, Beyoncé suffered near-constant sinus infections and was once treated for bronchitis. Vulture, 1 Dec. 2023 Hickey died at the age of 69 in 1997 from emphysema and bronchitis. EW.com, 8 Nov. 2023 In 2014, a case of bronchitis left Stella, a therapist who lives in the Chicago area, with debilitating fatigue. Will Stone, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024 Smoking weed likewise can lead to chronic bronchitis and other respiratory ailments (although, unlike tobacco, it hasn't been definitively tied to lung cancer). Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024 Here's what to know Many Americans may assume that complications from respiratory illnesses are limited to sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and other sicknesses that affect the upper or lower respiratory tracts. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bronchitis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin bronchium "branch of a bronchus, bronchial tube" + -itis — more at bronchial

Note: The term bronchitis was apparently introduced into English by the British physician Charles Badham (1780-1845) in Observations on the Inflammatory Affections of the Mucous Membrane of the Bronchiæ (London: Callow, 1808), though the word had been used earlier (as a Latinate synonym of Luftröhrenästentzündung) by the German physician Johann Christian Stark (1753-1811) in Handbuch zur Kenntnis und Heilung innerer Krankheiten des menschlichen Körpers (Jena, 1799), pp. 144, 167.

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bronchitis was in 1808

Dictionary Entries Near bronchitis

Cite this Entry

“Bronchitis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bronchitis. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bronchitis

noun
bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkīt-əs How to pronounce bronchitis (audio)
bräŋ-
: inflammation of the bronchial tubes or a disease marked by this

Medical Definition

bronchitis

noun
bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkīt-əs, bräŋ- How to pronounce bronchitis (audio)
: acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes
also : a disease marked by this
bronchitic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on bronchitis

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