Meaning & use
trachea
Last updated
UK/trəˈkiː.ə/
US/ˈtreɪ.ki.ə/
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
The tube that carries air from the throat into the chest and toward the lungs.
Grammar: Plural is tracheae or tracheas; learners more often meet the singular in health and biology contexts.
Patterns
- swollen trachea
- insert a tube into the trachea
- the trachea branches
Smoke can irritate the trachea and make breathing painful.
The trachea divides into two tubes that enter the lungs.
Word forms
| plural | tracheae |
|---|---|
| plural | tracheas |
Common combinations
- trachea and bronchi
- The lesson compared the trachea and bronchi using a model.
- blocked trachea
- A blocked trachea is a medical emergency.
- trachea surgery
- The specialist explained the risks of trachea surgery.
Synonyms and how they differ
- windpipe
- The everyday word; trachea is the precise term used by doctors and biologists.
Word family
- tracheal adjective
- Relating to the trachea: tracheal tube.
- tracheitis noun
- Inflammation of the trachea.
- tracheotomy noun
- A surgical opening made into the trachea to help breathing.
Commonly confused: trachea or esophagus?
trachea vs esophagus
The esophagus carries food to the stomach; the trachea carries air to the lungs.
Practice
What does the trachea carry?
Choose one answer.
The trachea is the air passage commonly called the windpipe. The esophagus carries food, so that option confuses two nearby tubes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “trachea”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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