| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024spi•ra•cle /ˈspaɪrəkəl, ˈspɪrə-/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- Zoologya breathing hole;
air hole;
blowhole.
See -spir-. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024spi•ra•cle (spī′rə kəl, spir′ə-),USA pronunciation n. - a breathing hole; an opening by which a confined space has communication with the outer air;
air hole. - Zoology
- an aperture or orifice through which air or water passes in the act of respiration, as the blowhole of a cetacean.
- an opening in the head of sharks and rays through which water is drawn and passed over gills.
- one of the external orifices of the tracheal respiratory system of certain invertebrates, usually on the sides of the body. See diag. under insect.
- Latin spīrāculum air hole, equivalent. to spīrā(re) to breathe + -culum -cle2
- Middle English 1300–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: spiracle /ˈspaɪərəkəl ˈspaɪrə-/ n - any of several paired apertures in the cuticle of an insect, by which air enters and leaves the trachea
- a small paired rudimentary gill slit just behind the head in skates, rays, and related fishes
- any similar respiratory aperture, such as the blowhole in whales
Etymology: 14th Century (originally: breath): from Latin spīrāculum vent, from spīrāre to breathespiracular /spɪˈrækjʊlə/ adj spiˈraculate adj |