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Glite Dictionary
alveolar ectasia

alveolar ectasia

9.9
Enlargement of the tiny air sacs in the lungs that makes breathing harder
  • noun
  • /ˌælviˈɔlɚ ɛkˈteɪziə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ectasia alveolar
  • Patients with alveolar ectasia often experience breathing difficulties due to the enlargement of their lung air sacs.

Examples

  • Early diagnosis of alveolar ectasia can help prevent progression to severe respiratory problems.

  • Patients with alveolar ectasia often experience breathing difficulties.

  • Alveolar ectasia is often seen in chronic smokers with long-term lung damage.

  • The doctor suspected alveolar ectasia after reviewing the patient's lung function tests.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with alveolar ectasia.

  • Early diagnosis of alveolar ectasia can help prevent progression to severe respiratory problems.

  • The doctor suspected alveolar ectasia after reviewing the patient's lung function tests and their history of smoking.

Surface Forms

alveolar ectasia singular
alveolar ectasias plural

Morphology

alveolar + ectasia

The meaning 'abnormal enlargement of the alveoli' is directly compositional from 'alveolar' (relating to the lung air-sacs) + 'ectasia' (abnormal distension), so a learner who knows both constituents can reconstruct the overall sense. Although the term is technical and medical in register, the morphological formation is regular and cross-linguistically paralleled in medical nomenclature, making it predictable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Alveolar ectasia mixes alveolar, which means 'air sacs in the lungs', and ectasia, which means 'widening'. Imagine those tiny sacs swelling like small balloons, so the term means 'abnormal enlargement of the alveoli'.