1. plural of trachea; the main airways that carry air from the throat to the lungs
Usage: medical; anatomical
2. plural of trachea; the breathing tubes in insects and other arthropods
Usage: biological; entomological

Examples

• The surgeon examined both tracheae during the procedure.
• Damage to the tracheae can cause serious breathing problems.
• Insects have networks of tracheae that deliver oxygen directly to their tissues.
• The tracheae of beetles are highly branched structures.
• Researchers studied how air flows through the tracheae of flying insects.
• The tracheae in arthropods function differently from mammalian lungs.