Definition of "trachea" [tra•che•a]

• Anatomy A thin-walled, cartilaginous tube descending from the larynx to the bronchi and carrying air to the lungs. Also called windpipe. (noun)
• Zoology One of the internal respiratory tubes of insects and some other terrestrial arthropods. (noun)
• Botany One of the tubular conductive vessels in the xylem of vascular plants. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The pressure effects may be entirely referable to the trachea -- _thymus stenosis of the trachea_ -- giving rise to progressive dyspnœa accompanied by stridor, with paroxysmal exacerbations during which the child becomes asphyxiated."
• "In this surgery, the damaged part of the trachea is removed and the remaining ends are joined together."
• "In this surgery, the narrow part of the trachea is cut through horizontally."