trachea
Meaning of trachea: The trachea is the airway connecting the larynx to the bronchi, held open by rings of cartilage that keep it from collapsing.
Definition of trachea
The trachea is the airway that extends from the larynx, or voice box, down to the point where it divides into the two bronchi leading to the lungs. It is a tube reinforced by a series of C-shaped cartilage rings, which hold the airway open and keep it from collapsing as air moves in and out during breathing.
The trachea is lined with a specialized layer of tissue that produces mucus and moves it, along with trapped particles and debris, up and out of the airway through the coordinated motion of tiny hairlike structures on the cell surface. This lining plays an important role in keeping the lower airway clear and protected from inhaled irritants.
Because the trachea is the sole passage connecting the upper airway to the lungs, a blockage or narrowing anywhere along its length can significantly affect breathing, and conditions ranging from swelling to a foreign object or tumor can compromise the airway at this level.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Imaging confirmed that the tumor was compressing the trachea, narrowing the airway.
Good to know
Because the trachea is the body's single passage into the lower airway, obstruction at this level affects the entire airway at once, unlike a blockage confined to one branch further down the respiratory tree.
Word origin
Where “trachea” comes from
Formed from Greek tracheia arteria, literally rough artery, an early anatomical description referring to the cartilage rings that give the airway its rough surface.