n., pl., -che·ae (-kē-ē'), or -che·as.
- Anatomy. A thin-walled, cartilaginous tube descending from the larynx to the bronchi and carrying air to the lungs. Also called windpipe.
- Zoology. One of the internal respiratory tubes of insects and some other terrestrial arthropods.
- Botany. One of the tubular conductive vessels in the xylem of vascular plants.
[Middle English trache, from Medieval Latin trāchēa, from Late Latin trāchīa, from Greek (artēria) trākheia, rough (artery), trachea (as opposed to the smooth vessels that carried blood and not air), feminine of trākhus, rough.]
tracheal tra'che·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
