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

The virus then leaves your body exposed to even minor illnesses, leading to causes of death from things like pneumonia or bronchitis. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 13 May 2025

The former pope was hospitalized with bronchitis, double pneumonia and acute respiratory failure for more than a month, starting in mid-February, but he was released in late March. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025

Pope Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936, died on April 21, a couple of months after he was hospitalized with bronchitis. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2025

In February, he was once again hospitalized after a bout of bronchitis. —Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for bronchitis

• arthritis
• bursitis
• detritus
• gastritis
• glossitis
• mastitis
• metritis
• nephritis
• neuritis
• orchitis
• osteitis
• otitis

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