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windpipe

windpipe

16 2.5
A tube in the neck that carries air to the lungs
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪndˌpaɪp/
translation icon : tráquea
  • Now each of us has, at the top of our windpipe or trachea, a complex structure called the larynx, or voice box.
  • crushed windpipe
  • closed windpipe
  • severed windpipe

Bob Aronson told me that, that I had the windpipe of a large, large cat.

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Examples

  • The air was so cold that inhaling it made my windpipe ache.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • My fingers found a regular pulse alongside her windpipe, and I saw that she was breathing without difficulty.

    Blog text (24)
  • Newborn babies can't drown because their windpipes close in response to being submerged.

  • Doctors surgically implanted a tracheotomy tube in her windpipe today to help her breathe.

  • When you snore, tissues in your throat vibrate and can block your windpipe, temporarily stopping your breathing.

  • Newborn babies can't drown because their windpipes close in response to being submerged.

Synonyms

airway
vswindpipe
  • Specialized
65 2.9

A passage in the body that carries air to and from the lungs

is a specific neck and chest tube rather than a general air passage
trachea
vswindpipe
  • Specialized
14 4.6

The tube in the throat with rings that carries air to the lungs

is the common everyday name rather than the technical term
trach
vswindpipe
  • Jargon
9.6

The tube in the throat that carries air to the lungs

is the standard everyday name rather than a casual shortened form

Surface Forms

windpipe singular
windpipes plural

Morphology

windpipe = wind + pipe (semi-transparent) = wind + pipe

While 'wind' and 'pipe' are clear components, the specific anatomical reference to the trachea is not directly inferable.

Etymology

Windpipe comes from two old words: wind meaning 'air' and pipe meaning 'tube'. So a windpipe is a 'tube for air' that carries breath to the lungs.