Main Entry:

tra·chea

Pronunciation:

\ˈtrā-kē-ə\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

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

Etymology:

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

Date:

14th century

1: the main trunk of the system of tubes by which air passes to and from the lungs in vertebrates2 [New Latin, from Medieval Latin] : vessel 3b ; also : one of its constituent cellular elements3 [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