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

Most people have either emphysema, which happens when air sacs in the lungs called alveoli don’t function properly, or chronic bronchitis — which happens when inflammation in the airways causes mucus to accumulate in the lungs. —Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Sep. 2024

Acute bronchitis resolves in a couple of weeks, while chronic bronchitis may last for months and come and go. —Kathi Valeii, Verywell Health, 4 July 2024

Aggravation of existing asthma and bronchitis can occur when your fiberglass enters your respiratory tract. —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 3 Sep. 2024

State data shows Richmond residents have some of the highest rates of asthma in the state, an illness linked to refinery particulate matter along with bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. —Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 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