Meaning & use
Rale
Last updated
An abnormal crackling or rattling sound heard in the lungs during breathing, typically indicating disease or fluid buildup.
See it in a sentence
The doctor detected a faint rale at the base of the patient's right lung.
Crackling rales during auscultation can signal pneumonia or heart failure.
A note on using this word
Borrowed from French râle, meaning 'rattle'; still commonly used in clinical medicine to describe abnormal lung sounds during a physical exam.
Words with a similar meaning
cracklecrepitation
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