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