Meaning & use
pleural
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounmedicaltechnical
Relating to the pleura, the thin double membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the chest cavity.
Grammar: Used before a noun: pleural fluid, not the fluid is pleural.
Patterns
- pleural something
Doctors drained fluid from the pleural space around his lung.
A pleural effusion showed up clearly on the chest X-ray.
The pleural membranes let the lungs glide smoothly as we breathe.
Common combinations
- pleural cavity
- The pleural cavity lies between the lung and the chest wall.
- pleural effusion
- A pleural effusion made her short of breath.
- pleural fluid
- A sample of pleural fluid was sent to the lab.
- pleural membrane
- The pleural membrane was inflamed.
- pleural space
- Air in the pleural space can collapse a lung.
Word family
- pleura noun
- the membrane around the lungs
- pleurisy noun
- painful inflammation of the pleura
- pleuritic adjective
- relating to pleurisy, as in pleuritic pain
Commonly confused: pleural or plural?
pleural vs plural
Plural means more than one in grammar or number; pleural belongs to the lungs and is spelled with an e.
Practice
Fluid had collected in the ___ cavity around the patient's lung.
Choose one answer.
Pleural refers to the membranes around the lungs. Plural is the similar-looking word meaning more than one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pleural”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.