pulmonary
Meaning of pulmonary: Pulmonary findings and conditions concern the lungs and their airways, spanning normal respiratory function to serious lung disease.
Definition of pulmonary
Pulmonary means relating to the lungs. The word describes lung anatomy, such as the pulmonary artery and pulmonary veins, respiratory function, such as pulmonary function testing, and disease processes that affect the lungs, including pulmonary infections, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary embolism.
Because the lungs are responsible for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air and the bloodstream, pulmonary findings can affect oxygen levels throughout the body and are often evaluated together with heart function, given how closely the two systems work together. Pulmonary symptoms, such as shortness of breath or cough, can arise from a wide range of causes within or outside the lungs themselves.
The word combines with others to specify a more precise meaning, such as cardiopulmonary, referring to the heart and lungs together, or pulmonology, the medical specialty focused on diseases of the lungs and respiratory system.
Used in a sentence
Pulmonary function testing was ordered to evaluate the patient's persistent shortness of breath.
Good to know
Pulmonary symptoms such as shortness of breath can originate from the heart, the lungs, or another cause entirely, so a pulmonary source is confirmed through further evaluation rather than assumed from symptoms alone.
Word origin
Where “pulmonary” comes from
From Latin pulmo, pulmon-, meaning "lung."