bronchitis

noun

bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkī-təs 

bräŋ-

: acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes

also : a disease marked by this

bronchitic

brän-ˈki-tik 

bräŋ-

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

For the past few months, the pope has been battling frequent bouts of bronchitis, cold and the flu, with regular visits to the hospital for checks on his lungs. —NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024

Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. —Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024

Over the winter months, Francis has battled with bouts of bronchitis, cold and flu. —Christopher Lamb, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

In recent weeks the 87-year-old pope has been suffering on and off from bronchitis and influenza and has delegated an aide to read his addresses for him, but on Sunday his prepared text was not read at all. —Philip Pullella, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024

Pope Francis was hospitalized earlier this year for three days for intravenous treatment with antibiotics for what was eventually identified as bronchitis. —Stepheny Price, Fox News, 3 Dec. 2023

Potter died of heart ailments and complications of bronchitis on Dec. 22, 1943, during World War II. —Jess Bidgood, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024

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

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

Kids Definition

bronchitis

noun

bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkīt-əs 

bräŋ-

: inflammation of the bronchial tubes or a disease marked by this

Medical Definition

bronchitis

noun

bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkīt-əs, bräŋ- 

: acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes

also : a disease marked by this

bronchitic

-ˈkit-ik 

adjective