trachea

noun

tra·​chea ˈtrā-kē-ə 

plural tracheae 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

2

[New Latin, from Medieval Latin] : vessel sense 3b

also : one of its constituent cellular elements

3

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

tracheal

ˈtrā-kē-əl 

adjective

Examples of trachea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When air flows through the trachea, the vocal cords vibrate at frequencies ranging from 110 to 200 Hz. —ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, and a procedure on his trachea reduced his speaking voice to a whisper. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 1 Apr. 2025

The mouth is connected directly to the lungs through the trachea, so any kind of aspiration into the lower airway could be linked to an infection. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025

The singers then let their lungs deflate, and the altered air made its way back up through their bronchi, into their tracheas and through their larynxes. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for trachea

• tracheae

Kids Definition

trachea

noun

tra·​chea ˈtrā-kē-ə 

plural tracheae -kē-ˌē 

-kē-ˌī

also tracheas or trachea

1

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

called also windpipe

2

: one of the tiny air-carrying tubes that form the respiratory system of most insects and many other land-dwelling arthropods (as spiders)

tracheal

-kē-əl 

adjective

Medical Definition

trachea

noun

tra·​chea

ˈtrā-kē-ə, British also trə-ˈkē-ə

plural tracheae -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