What does bronchi mean?
The bronchi are the two principal tubes that carry air from the windpipe, or trachea, into the lungs. At the base of the trachea, the single airway splits like an inverted Y into a right and a left bronchus, each entering its corresponding lung before dividing repeatedly into ever-finer passages that ultimately deliver oxygen to the deepest tissues. The word is the plural of 'bronchus', and both forms come ultimately from Greek, via Latin. Because the term belongs chiefly to anatomy and medicine, it appears most often in clinical settings, textbooks, and health journalism — for example, when doctors describe infections such as bronchitis, which inflames these very tubes. Understanding the word helps readers follow discussions of breathing, respiratory illness, and how the body's air delivery system is built. In casual conversation, simpler terms such as 'airways' usually stand in for it.
nounThe two main branches of the windpipe (trachea) that lead into the left and right lungs, where they divide into progressively smaller airways.
- Anatomy: the two main air passages branching from the trachea into the left and right lungs.
- By extension: the network of larger airways in the lungs generally.
"The surgeon traced the tumour to one of the patient's main bronchi."
"Cigarette smoke damages the cilia lining the bronchi."
"An X-ray revealed that the peanut had lodged in one of the child's bronchi."
'Bronchi' is already a plural form; the singular is 'bronchus'. Use 'bronchi' when referring to both tubes or to multiple airways collectively.
"The right and left bronchi differ slightly in width and angle."
Every breath you take forks at a T-junction inside your chest — the two roads it can take are your bronchi.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bronchi
'Bronchi' is the plural of 'bronchus', a New Latin borrowing from Greek 'bronchos', meaning windpipe or throat. The anatomical sense entered European scientific vocabulary around the early modern period as classical Greek medical terminology was adopted into learned Latin usage. Related English derivatives sharing the same root include 'bronchial', 'bronchitis', 'bronchiole', and 'bronchoscopy'.
Related word forms
How bronchi is actually used
'Bronchi' is the standard plural of 'bronchus' and is used almost exclusively in medical, scientific, and educational contexts. In everyday speech people are more likely to say 'airways'. The anglicized plural 'bronchuses' is occasionally seen but widely considered nonstandard.
Easily confused with bronchi
A bronchus is the singular form — one of the two tubes — while 'bronchi' is its plural, referring to both or several of them.
Bronchioles are the much smaller airway branches that the bronchi divide into deep within the lungs.
Bronchitis is a disease involving inflammation of the bronchi, not a body part.