What does trachea mean?
The trachea is the windpipe, a flexible airway connecting the larynx, or voice box, with the two main bronchi leading into the lungs. Supported by C-shaped rings of cartilage, it remains open while allowing the neck and breathing movements to change its shape. In vertebrate anatomy, its central role is to conduct air toward the lungs; in insects, structures called tracheae form a branching network that delivers oxygen directly to tissues. The term is mainly used in medical and biological contexts, while “windpipe” is the more familiar expression in everyday speech. Trachea is especially useful when discussing breathing, airway obstruction, intubation, injury, infection, and surgery, because it names the specific passage between the throat and the lungs. Its unusual history also makes it memorable: it comes from an ancient Greek expression meaning “rough artery,” referring to the firm, ringed structure of the human airway.
nounThe trachea, or windpipe, is a flexible tube supported by cartilage that carries air from the larynx to the two main bronchi of the lungs. In insects, tracheae are branching respiratory tubes that carry air directly to the body's tissues.
- In vertebrate anatomy, the tube that conducts air from the larynx to the bronchi.
- In insects and other arthropods, one of the branching respiratory tubes that carry oxygen directly to tissues.
"The surgeon carefully repaired the injured trachea before the patient's breathing was fully restored."
"A blockage in the trachea prevented air from reaching the lungs."
"In insects, air enters the branching tracheae through small openings called spiracles."
The standard plural is tracheae; tracheas is also accepted in some modern usage, especially in medical contexts.
"The tracheae of several mammalian species were examined during the study."
The trachea's name comes from the ancient Greek phrase for “rough artery,” a striking description of the cartilage-reinforced windpipe.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trachea come from?
The word trachea comes through Latin from Greek tracheia arteria, an expression meaning “rough artery.” The Greek adjective derives from trakhus, meaning “rough,” while arteria means “artery”; the description referred to the airway's firm, cartilage-reinforced structure. The term was established in anatomical usage by the early modern period, and modern relatives include tracheitis, tracheotomy, tracheostomy, and tracheoscopy.
Related word forms
How trachea is actually used
The word is primarily a technical anatomical term used in medicine, biology, and zoology. In human anatomy, it is commonly called the windpipe in general speech.