trachea

noun tra·chea \ ˈtrā-kē-ə \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of trachea

plural tracheae play \ˈtrā-kē-ˌē, -kē-ˌī\ also tracheas or trachea

1 : the main trunk of the system of tubes by which air passes to and from the lungs in vertebrates

[New Latin, from Medieval Latin]

: vessel 3b; also : one of its constituent cellular elements

[New Latin]

: one of the air-conveying tubules forming the respiratory system of most insects and many other arthropods

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tracheal

play \ˈtrā-kē-əl\ adjective

See trachea defined for English-language learners

See trachea defined for kids

Recent Examples of trachea from the Web

Over a five-year period, Macchiarini went on to implant the synthetic trachea in nine desperately ill patients.

— christopher hartnick, STAT, "Taking risks in pursuit of innovation is good. So is preparing for it," 7 June 2018
Over time, the sedation was decreased, and respiratory tubes were switched from the mouth to the trachea.

— ellen barry, New York Times, "Skripal Attack Scared U.K. Doctors: ‘We Were Expecting Them Not to Survive’," 29 May 2018
Kidik, a 12-year department veteran, was in critical condition after the stabbing, which occurred during a call to a landlord-tenant dispute at an apartment building on Constitution Plaza, left her with wounds to her jugular vein and trachea.

— nicholas rondinone, courant.com, "As Details Emerge Of Violent Struggle, Hartford Officer Jill Kidik Is 'Alert And Staying Strong'," 18 May 2018
The bullet that hit the dog entered under his jaw and passed through his trachea and esophagus before lodging in his back near his shoulder blade, police said.

— jacob carozza, BostonGlobe.com, "Wounded police dog released from hospital," 19 Apr. 2018
The dog underwent surgery Friday to repair his trachea and esophagus and had been recovering at Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists in Buzzards Bay.

— jacob carozza, BostonGlobe.com, "Wounded police dog released from hospital," 19 Apr. 2018
Weighing less than three pounds, Teodora was born with a rare disease that required, on day three of her life, complicated surgery to connect her esophagus to her stomach, and patch a hole in her trachea.

— bernhard warner, BostonGlobe.com, "Why women live longer than men — and how men will benefit from it," 13 Apr. 2018
But the polymer trachea collapsed multiple times and caused recurring infections.

— gretchen vogel, Science | AAAS, "University declines to sanction doctor who referred patient for deadly transplant," 13 Apr. 2018
So would head and neck surgeon Pierre Delaere of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, a ferocious critic of the trachea transplants long before Macchiarini's downfall.

— matt warren, Science | AAAS, "Two controversial stem cell trials could harm patients, critics say," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trachea.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of trachea

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Late Latin trachia, from Greek tracheia (artēria) rough (artery), from feminine of trachys rough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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TRACHEA Defined for English Language Learners

trachea

noun

Definition of trachea for English Language Learners

medical : a long tube in your neck and chest that carries air into and out of your lungs

TRACHEA Defined for Kids

trachea

noun tra·chea \ ˈtrā-kē-ə \

Definition of trachea for Students

plural tracheae \-kē-ˌē\

1 : a stiff-walled tube of the respiratory system that connects the pharynx with the lungs

2 : a breathing tube of an insect that connects with the outside of the body and carries oxygen directly to the cells

Medical Dictionary

trachea

noun tra·chea \ ˈtrā-kē-ə, British also trə-ˈkē-ə \

medical Definition of trachea

plural tracheae play \-kē-ˌē\ also tracheas

: 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