bronchiole
Meaning of bronchiole: A bronchiole is one of the smallest airway branches in the lungs, carrying air from the larger bronchi toward the air sacs where gas exchange occurs.
Definition of bronchiole
A bronchiole is a small airway within the lung, formed as the larger bronchi divide repeatedly into progressively narrower branches. Bronchioles lack the cartilage found in the larger airways and instead have walls composed mainly of smooth muscle, which allows them to widen or narrow to help regulate airflow.
Air passes through the bronchioles on its way to the alveoli, the tiny air sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged with the blood. Because bronchioles are narrow, they are particularly susceptible to being obstructed by inflammation, mucus, or muscle constriction, which can significantly affect airflow.
Conditions such as asthma and bronchiolitis specifically involve narrowing or inflammation of the bronchioles, which distinguishes them from conditions primarily affecting the larger airways.
Used in a sentence
The imaging findings were consistent with inflammation involving the small bronchioles.
Good to know
Because bronchioles lack the cartilage support of larger airways, even a small amount of swelling or mucus within them can produce a proportionally large effect on airflow, particularly in young children whose airways are already narrow.
Word origin
Where “bronchiole” comes from
Formed from bronchus, from Greek bronchos, meaning "windpipe," with the Latin diminutive suffix -iole, meaning "small."