What does spiracle mean?
A spiracle is a small opening that allows an animal to breathe or release a gas. Its best-known use is in entomology: insects typically breathe through spiracles arranged along the thorax and abdomen rather than through their mouths. In marine biology, the same term can describe a whale's blowhole, where warm air and spray are expelled. The word is chiefly technical, but it offers a memorable way to describe the visible structures that make respiration possible in some animals. The related adjective spiracular means “of or relating to spiracles,” and the term is also used in anatomical descriptions of small respiratory openings.
A small opening through which an organism breathes, especially one of the respiratory openings along the body of an insect or other arthropod.
"The beetle's spiracles remained closed while it was submerged."
Chiefly a biological and zoological term; in entomology, spiracles are external openings connected to the internal tracheal respiratory system.
A vent or blowhole through which water is expelled from an aquatic vertebrate, especially a whale.
"The whale's spiracle sent spray high above the water."
This marine use is established, but it is less general than the insect respiration sense.
The plural is used when referring to multiple respiratory openings or vents, especially those arranged along an animal's body.
"The scientist examined the spiracles of several preserved insects."
A spiracle is a tiny biological doorway: insects do not breathe through their mouths, but through rows of these openings along the body.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spiracle come from?
The word comes through Latin spiraculum, a diminutive of spirare, meaning “to breathe.” In English, spiracle was used for a small breathing opening, especially in insects, and later acquired the sense of a vent or blowhole in some aquatic animals. Its relatives include words based on the same Latin root, such as respiration, inspiration, perspiration, and conspire.
Related word forms
How spiracle is actually used
The word is primarily used in biology and zoology. In entomology, it commonly refers to a respiratory opening on the thorax or abdomen; in marine contexts, it can refer to the blowhole of a whale or other cetacean.