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Glite Dictionary
pulmonary emphysema

pulmonary emphysema

6.7
Long-term lung disease that damages the small air sacs and makes breathing hard
  • noun
  • /ˈpʌlməˌnɛri ɛmˈfɪziˌmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : enfisema pulmonar
  • Many patients with pulmonary emphysema experience shortness of breath during physical activity.

Examples

  • Treatment options for pulmonary emphysema include inhalers and pulmonary rehabilitation programs.

  • He was operated on a few years ago for pulmonary emphysema.

    The Oxford Murders (2008)

  • The doctor explained that pulmonary emphysema can significantly impact a person's quality of life.

Synonyms

emphysema
vspulmonary emphysema
  • Specialized
22 7.0

A long-term lung disease in which tiny air sacs are damaged and cause trouble breathing

is the longer, more specific medical phrase for the same disease
smoker's lung
vspulmonary emphysema
  • Specialized
1 4.4

Lung damage from breathing cigarette smoke for many years that makes breathing hard and causes a long cough

focuses on air sac destruction leading to breathlessness and reduced function

Surface Forms

pulmonary emphysema singular
pulmonary emphysemas plural

Morphology

pulmonary + emphysema

Both constituents are semantically transparent: 'pulmonary' means relating to the lungs and 'emphysema' is a lung condition causing breathlessness. The compound simply specifies emphysema affecting the lungs, so its meaning is directly predictable from the parts and would be clear to a learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Pulmonary emphysema comes from old Latin and Greek words: pulmonary means 'lung' and emphysema means 'to blow in' or 'to inflate'. The image of the lung's tiny air sacs being over-inflated and damaged helps explain why the condition makes it hard to breathe.