tracheal Definition

trachea
noun tracheae

1. anatomy.
An air tube, usually stiffened by rings of cartilage, that extends from the larynx to the bronchus of each lung. Non-technical equivalent windpipe.
2. zool.
In insects and arthropods: any of the openings on the surface of the body that function as specialized respiratory organs where air is absorbed into the blood and tissues.
3. bot.
Any fluid-conducting vessel or duct in the woody tissue of plants, so called because they were once believed to serve the same function as the tracheae in insects, etc. See also phloem, xylem.

Derivative: tracheal
adj

Etymology: 15c: from Greek tracheia arteria rough artery.