nounWord forms: plural -cheae (-ˈkiːiː)1. anatomy, zoology the membranous tube with cartilaginous rings that conveys inhaled air from the larynx to the bronchi
Nontechnical name: windpipe 2. any of the tubes in insects and related animals that convey air from the spiracles to the tissues
3. botany another name for vessel (sense 5), tracheid
Word origin
C16: from Medieval Latin, from Greek
trakheia, shortened from (
artēria)
trakheia rough (artery), from
trakhus rough