Respiratory System Glossary
Respiratory System: Key Terms with definitions
| alveolus (plural, alveoli) | A small hollow or cavity; Microscopic air sac in the lungs |
| asthma | A medical condition of the chest associated with shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing; A constrictive pulmonary disease characterized by spasmodic contraction of the bronchi that makes breathing difficult |
| bicarbonate ion | A buffering ion that participates in buffering the blood (HCO3–) |
| bronchiole | Small air passages within the lungs that carry air to the alveoli; begin at the bronchi and terminate in alveoli |
| bronchus | One of the two branching airways of the lungs; connects the lungs with the trachea |
| carbaminohemoglobin | Portion of hemoglobin that binds carbon dioxide |
| diaphragm | Dome-shaped horizontal sheet of muscle; attached to the lower ribs; separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity |
| emphysema | A degenerative lung disease that damages the bronchioles and alveoli; characterized by abnormally large air spaces and loss of elasticity in the lungs |
| epiglottis | A thin piece of tissue at the back of the tongue that covers the opening of the larynx and the trachea while swallowing. |
| expiration | Also called exhalation; the process in which air is expelled from the lungs |
| external respiration | The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between alveoli and blood |
| glottis | The opening between the vocal cords in the larynx |
| inspiration | Also called inhalation; the act of taking air from outside of the body into the lungs |
| internal respiration | The exchange of gases between the blood in the systemic capillaries and the cells of the body |
| larynx | Also called the voice box; the area at the top of the throat that contains the vocal cords and produces vocal sounds; located between the trachea and pharynx |
| oxyhemoglobin | Hemoglobin molecule that has given up its oxygen. |
| partial pressure | The pressure exerted by a single gas in a mixture of gases |
| pharynx | Also called the throat; the region of the digestive tract between the mouth and the esophagus; serves as a passageway for food and air |
| pleura | Serous membrane that encloses the external surface of the lungs; lines the walls of the chest and the diaphragm |
| residual volume | The amount of air that remains in the lungs even after a forceful, maximal expiration |
| tidal volume | Volume of air inhaled and exhaled during normal breathing; approximately 500 milliliters |
| trachea | Also called the windpipe; The tube that extends from the larynx to the bronchi; carries air to the lungs |
| ventilation | Also called breathing; The process of moving air into and out of the lungs |
| vital capacity | The maximum amount of air that is moved into or out of the lungs with each breathing cycle by forcible expiration |
| vocal cord | The two fold of connective tissue within the larynx; produces vocal sounds after vibration |
Respiratory System: Other terms you should know
| acute bronchitis | lung cancer |
| acute mountain sickness | macrophage |
| acute sinusitis | nasal cavity |
| affinity | noble gases |
| alveolar ducts | oxyhemoglobin |
| alveoli | parietal pleura |
| alveolus | partial pressure |
| asthma | partial pressure gradient |
| auditory tube | ph |
| basal metabolic rate | pharynx |
| bicarbonate ion | pleura |
| bronchi | pleural cavity |
| bronchiole | pleural membranes |
| bronchitis | pleurisy |
| bronchus | pneumonectomy |
| buffer | pneumonia |
| carbaminohemoglobin | pneumothorax |
| carbonic anhydrase | pons |
| chemoreceptor | pulmonary edema |
| chronic bronchitis | pulmonary fibrosis |
| chronic sinusitis | pulmonary tuberculosis |
| cystic fibrosis | residual volume |
| dead air | respiratory center |
| dead air space | respiratory membrane |
| diaphragm | sinuses |
| diffusion | sinusitis |
| emphysema | spirometer |
| epiglottis | surfactant |
| esophagus | surfactants |
| expiration | tidal volume |
| expiratory center | tonsillectomy |
| expiratory neurons | tonsillitis |
| expiratory reserve volume | tonsils |
| external respiration | total atmospheric pressure |
| glottis | total lung capacity |
| goblet cells | trachea |
| hilum | tracheostomy |
| histamine | tuberculosis |
| hypoxia | upper respiratory tract |
| inspiration | ventilation |
| internal respiration | visceral pleura |
| laryngitis | vital capacity |
| larynx | vocal cord |
| lower respiratory tract | vocal folds |
| lung |