Main Entry: tra·chea

Pronunciation: \ˈtrā-kē-ə, British also trə-ˈkē-ə\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural tra·che·ae \-kē-ˌē\ also tra·che·as

: 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

[trachea illustration]